RISE: Heroes of Tomorrow REVAMPED
by SpaceRyder69
Summary: A young boy joins his friends as they begin the long journey to becoming real heroes! Kaiji Adachi was passed great power by his mother and father. Now must learn to control that power, find his limits and go beyond them if he wants any hope of defeating the rising tide of darkness. / On Hiatus!
1. UA Entrance Exam

**WAIT BEFORE YOU START READING**

 **To anyone that has been following me waiting for an update on "Evolution: Heroes of Tomorrow", I started working on it a few weeks ago and am happy to say I've got like 10 chapters ready to go (I've been reading the manga and know everything up to Yakuza Defeat).**

 **HOWEVER! As I prepared these chapters I took time to reread my story, the first I'd ever written, and like most authors looking back on the work of their early days, I realized how rough some of it was. Mistakes in editing or things that I just am not sure I like now as much as I did then.  
**

 **So here is my solution, rather than drop chapter 45 on a story that most people have probably forgotten, and make newcomers trudge through some mediocre chapters to get to that good stuff later on, I'm revamping the whole story!**

 **Now before anyone freaks out, no I do not plan rewriting anything major... Yet... I think? Just tweaking things, reworking some dialogue and making sure I don't miss anything in editing. You have no idea how flustered I get when I reread a chapter I posted two months ago and find a typo T-T**

 **So sorry for rebranding some old stuff, but I'll be releasing the new chapters steadily over the next few weeks/months depending on how fast I finish tweaking them. And this also offers a unique opportunity, for those who remember what was already written. If there was something in the original you didn't like, or would rather see changed feel free to PM me or just leave a review putting something you didn't like on blast and hey maybe I'll change it XD**

 **Thank you for your time, I hope you enjoy :D**

* * *

 _"Go AWAY!"_

 _"W-Wait! Stay away from that thing!"_

 _"S-Some kind of beast!"_

 _"Leave my friends ALONE! You big ugly MONSTER!"_

 _"Don't go any closer! Get back!"_

 _"It must be a villain!"_

 _"STOP!"_

Adachi's eyes snapped open, gasping for breath as he sat up. The young boy took a moment to gather himself, before sighing heavily and looking towards the alarm clock. Which only made him release another grown of discomfort. Though the boy would have liked to get a bit more sleep, he had to get up and get ready. Today was the big day, the day he and his friends find out what they can really do. And find out if they have what it takes, to make it into the Hero Academy.

"Kaiji?" A knock sounded at the door, his Dad's voice ringing through, "You okay? I thought I heard something..."

"I'm up, its fine." The the young boy assured, smiling faintly at his fathers concern. Always happy to be reminded of his care, "I'll be out in a minute."

"Alright!" He answered, leaving the door after a moment and leaving him in silence once more. His smile vanished quickly, and his thoughts returned to that nightmare, _"Why now?"_ He wondered, standing up from his bed, he looked out the window to watch the rising sun, _"Why am I remembering that now?"_ He rubbed his head in annoyance, feeling a throbbing pain starting to form, _"And why does it always give me such a damn headache?"_

Pushing it aside, Kaiji quickly made his way to the bathroom to get washed up and ready for his big day. The young boy had been training for this, preparing to show the world what he could do and prove how tough he was!

He had plenty of doubts though, Kaiji wasn't exactly a fit young man. Sure he was tall, already six feet at his young age, but he looked like a twig. He was thin, pale with long lanky limbs, with incredibly short black hair on his head, leaving him always looking like he had a buzzcut. You would think he had some kind of ghoulish quirk, if not for his almost glowing blue reptilian eyes, and the long forked tongue.

He finished washing up, and after brushing his teeth he made his way down the hall to the kitchen. As he arrived he noticed his father struggling to pull a teapot from the stove, leaning forward on the edge of his wheelchair. The boy quickly rushed to his aid, grabbing the teapot and moving it within his fathers reach. The man shared many of Kaiji's facial features, though he lacked the reptilian aspects and certainly wasn't as thin.

"I had it." Kento Adachi grumbled a bit defensively.

Kaiji smiled and poured him a cup, "Yeah I know, you gonna be home today?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I might be late," He explained, taking a seat at the table and starting to prod at his breakfast while his father rolled up across from him, "Friends and I are thinking of heading to the arcade to celebrate after the exam."

He frowned slightly, "You know you shouldn't count on passing so early, these exams are tough."

Kaiji rolled his eyes, "Yeah I know Dad... But I mean, if you could handle it..." He trailed off, grinning at him.

"Oi, your old man was quite the hero back in the day." He reminded, poking a finger at Kaiji.

The young boy laughed, "I know I know, I'm just teasing."

His Father sighed lightly, shaking his head, "Just... Be careful, alright? All three of you..

Kaiji nodded his head, "We will Dad, thanks..."

 **. . .**

There was still plenty of time before they needed to head to UA for the test. And so, Kaiji was making his way to the station, to meet up with his friends and get there early. It was a quiet morning, their district was never crazy busy as it had only a few local businesses, no massive commercial buildings that flooded the streets with traffic. Kaiji always liked early morning walks, despite his aversion to the cold.

"Adachi! About time slowpoke!" The abrasive, excited tone of his friend shouted from above, "What took you so long? I almost left without you guys!"

"I'm surprised you could even get up this early Kirishima!" Kaiji shot back with a grin, ascending the steps to join them.

"Oh ha ha," Kirishima rolled his eyes, waving him off, "You ready to go? I wanna get there early, maybe get some practice in and loosen up!"

"Isn't your quirk all about hardening?" The light, friendly voice of their third member sounded as she walked up the stairs behind Adachi.

"You know what I mean Ashido!" Kirishima barked loudly, as both her and Kaiji laughed in response.

"Alright come on," Adachi said with a grin as the train pulled up, "Lets get up there, maybe go over stuff on the way? I mean... We don't _actually_ know what we are up against." He shrugged, waiting for a few people to step off the train before stepping on, Kirishima and Ashido following behind.

"Good idea I guess, it will at least fill some time." The red headed boy nodded, taking a seat beside Adachi while Ashido took the opposite side. The three were all dressed in athletic clothes, or just the kind of loose stuff you'd wear for a workout, all wanting to stay freely mobile during the practical portion of the tests. They weren't so concerned about what they'd look like during the written exam.

"Alright! It's finally happening!" Ashido was practically glowing as she bounced around in her seat, "I'm so excited to show off my stuff!"

 _"How does she even have any energy this early?"_ Adachi found himself wondering as he chuckled.

"Yeah, it should be easier for you two," Kirishima replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared up at the ceiling, "You're Quirks are both pretty flashy, but depending on how they rank the Practical portion it'll be hard for me to stand out."

"Come on don't sell yourself short," Adachi nudged him with his elbow, "We've all got good quirks, I think we'll do fine... And hey! Even if only one of us make it, we're ALL going out to celebrate afterwards!"

"Yeah!"

 **. . .**

Things from there got a bit dicey.

After arriving at the Academy, they were given a seminar explaining how the Practical Portion of the Exam would work. And it started by dividing the students to minimize the chance of friends working together. It made sense, no favoritism between candidates... This was a contest, after all, and hundreds, maybe thousands were competing. UA was the most prestigious hero school in the country after all, and they only took on a handful of students at a time, so if you weren't at your very best and stood out you had no chance.

"This sucks," Kirishima sighed shaking his head, "So much for standing strong together..."

"Yeah, things might get a bit harder with us alone," Ashido noted, "And some of these other people look pretty tough."

"Hey, come on, I mean..." Adachi started, though his smiled nearly faltered when they both looked at him, _"Crap, now they're expecting something inspirational!"_ He realized in growing anxiety, "W-We... We can do this!" He assured nervously, "You guys are both amazing, not only your quirks but you're great fighters! I know you'll... W-We will all pass this test!" Maybe he wasn't the most confident sounding motivational speaker, but wanted his friends to feel better.

"That speech sucked," Kirishima teased with a smirk, crossing his arms, "But yeah, I am pretty great..." He answered, sarcastically smug, "Look, I'm not giving up any time soon, so why don't we agree that... No matter what, we are all passing this test!"

"Yeah!" Ashido nodded, "Even if we're apart, we've got each other strengths with us... Or something, I don't know I heard something like that in a movie!" She nervously laughed, the other two young boys joining her.

As the laughter started to die down, and they all knew it was only moments before they'd have to split up, the fiery young man stuck out a fist, "Let's make a pact, right now! That we'll find a way to stay together! Through this exam, and beyond!"

Adachi looked at his hand in surprise, the intensity wasn't uncommon from Eijiro but he'd really been ramping it up lately, "Uh... Yeah, Kirishima I... I'm in!" A grin spreading across his unsure lips, as he bumped his fist with his friend.

"I agree, from here on out we are together! We're all gonna become great heroes!" Ashido beamed, sticking in her hand as well, "Lets DO THIS!"

After a few goodbyes and promises to meet up once this was over. The three close friends parted ways, and headed for their testing grounds. Kaiji's smile fading shortly after leaving them, as his own doubts began to sink in.

 _"With my transformation I should be able to take out these bots but... Will it be enough to compete with others?"_ He wondered, wincing a bit as he thought of pushing it, maybe going further than- _"No, I don't need to be the best, I just need to pass... I can do it! For Kirishima and Ashido, for my friends!"_ He stopped before his gate, swallowing nervously as it began to slowly open, _"And... For you dad."_

"Don't waste time Folks! GET IN THERE AND KICK BUTT!"

The voice of that ridiculous DJ hero sounded over the speakers. And instantly the games began, a horde of would be heroes charging into the city. Kaiji nearly tripping as he started running, beginning to pant in just a few moments, cursing himself for not changing early. Whatever, he would just have to deal with it now and use his skills to handle this.

As the crowds charged forward, he slid to a stop. Turning his head he picked up on something, sticking his tongue out he smirked. Tasting the air like a snake, he could smell something nearby and burst down the nearest alleyway getting off the main street. As he reached the end, his foot caught the curb and he tripped. Stumbling forward but also falling right under the swinging arm of a green mech.

"Agh!" He yelped, rolling across the ground to try and get some distance, "I've really gotta work on my coordination... But at least I found a 1 pointer..." He smirked faintly, steadying his nerves, "Alright tough guy! Let's go!" He started forming the light blue scales over his arms, nails growing sharp.

The Bot charged, taking a heavy swing at him as if to brush him aside quickly. Kaiji braced, raising both arms it took the blow sending a shock wave through his body as he winced, "Ngh! Take THIS!" He lunged with his clawed hands, shredding the light metal surrounding the bots body, exposing its sensitive inner workings. Adachi quickly ripped through the wires, and the machine collapsed, "Nice! 1 point already!" He grinned.

 _"Maybe I can do this without it..."_

 **. . .**

Outside of the testing grounds, in the observation room the Teachers were watching. Judging the performances carefully and putting up rescue points when applicable. But as it went on, one of the experienced heroes blinked in surprise.

"Those eyes... Isn't that Colossus' kid?" Midnight asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Kaiji Adachi, that's right..." Cementos responded, "But it doesn't look like he picked up his father's Quirk, mostly his mothers."

"What a shame..."

"Now now lets not judge too quickly," Principal Nezu chimed in, "He is still young, who knows what ways his Quirk could grow as he does."

"Fair point." Midnight shrugged, returning her eyes to the screens.

 **. . .**

Kaiji kept going, shredding the bots he could and racking up a modest amount of points. As the timer started counting down, he was seeing fewer enemies and more wreckage. There was one young boy, he was absolutely decimating the competition. Unleashing furious explosions and demolishing the machines with little effort.

Adachi knew it would be best to steer clear of him, but just as he was about to go chasing another bots scent, a tremor shook the streets. Kaiji's eyes went wide, as an eruption of dust and debris spread through the area, blinding him momentarily. But as it began to clear, he was met with the sight of other candidates running away.

"What is... Where are... Why-" His voice hitched, as his eyes locked onto the the towering, mean green machine rolling up the streets, "Th-That's..." His mind flashed back, to that young man who stood up and pointed out a missing enemy description during the exam briefing, "THAT THING ISN'T WORTH ANY POINTS!?" He exclaimed with a dropped jaw.

"That's right! So RUN!" A young girl with green vine hair shouted as she ran past him, "For your own safety!"

Kaiji blinked, noticing she was carrying a bunch of knocked out candidates in her vines. Maybe they were hurt in the blast when that thing appeared? Either way, she was right. He needed to steer clear of that big bot, or he could get seriously injured! And it wasn't even worth any points so...

"Aaagh!"

Kaiji stopped, looking back towards the sound. He gasped, spotting a young boy, someone his age trapped beneath some fallen rubble from one of the buildings.

"S-Somebody!" He looked very tired, bags under his eyes, with some wild purple hair, "I think my legs broken! I can't get free!"

 _"They wouldn't let someone die during these exams right?"_ He reasoned, hesitating for a moment. His eyes darting between the boy, and the machine rolling up the street, "Dammit!" Kaiji cursed, as he raced towards the boy, _"_ _ _Its fine,_ I've got 28 points... That should be enough to at least get me in... Right?"_

"Hnngh!" The boys gasps of pain halted, as he looked up at Kaiji, "H-Help me out of here!"

"Hang on!" He replied, taking his hand and starting to pull, earning a pained cry from the boy, "S-Sorry sorry! Uh..." He looked at the mound of rubble, all that was laying on the boy was a wooden archway, the problem was that one side was completely buried by concrete connecting to the rest of the building! And the robot was only getting-

"LOOKOUT!" Purple hair shouted, yanking on Kaiji's leg to make him fall as a 1P Bot took a swing. Narrowly missing before being blown away by the white haired boy. Kaiji watched, gasping as the explosive propelled boy blasted away Robots left and right, completely ignoring the giant! "H-Hey!" His attention immediately returning to the trapped boy, "You've gotta have a quirk that can get me out of this... Right? Hurry! That thing is almost here!"

"I-I... Right, I can, just hang on!" He stepped back, taking a deep breath and tossing aside his shirt. Kaiji clenched his fists, and his teeth tightly, "Ngh! Grr... Aaagh!" The young boy roared out, growing a few inches taller as well as filling in his thin frame with muscle and nearly tearing apart his loose shorts. The transformation didn't end with muscles however, his bones were shifting and blue scales were forming all over his body. Covering most of his form while his face contorted, growing forward and forming a long muzzle. It was covered in armored plates, preventing him from opening it but it was dotted with air holes along the sides. His neck grew longer, legs bending while his fingers and toes grew sharp claws. A thick, powerful tail slammed the ground behind him as it grew. And his back now lined with rows of sharp scales down his spine all the way up to the top of his head.

"Whoa..." Purple hair muttered as he watched.

 _"Now then..."_ Kaiji had wasted time changing, and the bot was almost on them. He quickly grabbed the archway and started to lift it. But as it began to rise, something snapped and more debris fell upon him. He raised both arms, shielding the other candidate until it ended, the stones harmlessly shattering against his tough scales. Kaiji stepped back, surveying the building, _"No good... This thing is way too unstable, if I go tearing out the wall to free this guy, he'll be crushed anyways! Dammit if only I had an extra pair of hands to help me!"_

"Hey!" Both their heads snapped the other way, that girl with the green vine hair was running back towards them, "Its not safe you have to run!"

Adachi released a sigh of relief _"Perfect, with her here..."_ He couldn't speak in this form, his armored face plates sealed his mouth shut, one downside to this transformation that he never fully understood. But, he knew she would understand, he simply pointed to the purple haired boy, _"If I lift the rubble fast enough, she can pull him out before it collapses!"_

"Hey!" The boy cried out as the young girl arrived, "What can you do?"

"No time for talking!" She replied quickly, bringing her hands together, "Please get ready to pull him out I am not sure my Quirk is strong enough to hold the building up for long!"

 _"Wait what?"_ Adachi blinked, _"But that's what I was going t-"_ His thoughts ceased, watching in awe as her strange vine-like hair stretched and lashed out at the building. Wrapping around several pieces and starting to pull it upward, providing support in areas that were weak and keeping it from collapsing, _"Amazing!"_ He internally smirked, quickly reaching down and grabbing the boy with one arm pulling him out in an instant.

"Hurry! The big guy is almost here!" The boy cried as they were engulfed by the robots shadow.

"Agh! Lookout!" The girl shouted, pulling back her vines and letting the rubble fall as the two boys got clear. Up above, one of the robots massive hands was reaching down for them.

 _"Oh Crap!"_ Adachi's eyes widened as he looked back, without thinking he turned halfway, making sure his body was between the robot and the other two. He brought up his free hand, as well as his powerful tail while digging in his claws to the "Grrrr... Hrraaagh!" He snarled out through his muzzle in response to the strain as the machines massive hand pushed down on him from above. His feet starting to slid back across the asphalt, _"D-Dammit! I can't hold this thing forever!"_

 **. . .**

"Oh my," The diminutive Principal chuckled as he watched for a brief moment, "Seems young Adachi at least retained some of his fathers immense strength..."

"Got that right, his mother was certainly never that strong." Snipe replied with a nod.

 **. . .**

"Come on you big scaly bastard don't let this thing crush us both!" The boy tucked under his arm shouted, trying to spur him on, "Green hair, don't just stand there!"

The girl in question seemed to snap out of her awe at Adachi's strength when the boy they were both trying to save spoke, "R-Right! My apologies!" She responded, "HANG ON!" Her vines lashed out, passing Adachi by and starting to coil around the machines outstretched arm, tightening steadily and beginning to crush the metal joints, "A-Almost got it!"

"LOOKOUT!" The boy cried, noticing the robots other arm swinging around to slam them from the flank!

 _"OH CRAP!"_ Adachi could only think, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the impact.

"TIIIIIIMES UP!"

The Robot ceased movement, and Kaiji opened his eyes, blinking as he looked at the other two. The three of them shared of a blank stare, before each of them released a heavy sigh of relief. Adachi carefully put down the boy before slumping to the ground, slowly changing back to normal, "That was too close... I really thought we were gonna die!" He added with a nervous laugh. _  
_

"I might have if not for you two." The purple haired boy responded with a faint smirk, "Names Shinso, Hitoshi Shinso."

"Kaiji Adachi." The other boy responded, still catching his breath as he wiped the sweat from his brow, "And really I don't think I did much... If not for you I never would have gotten him out."

"Please, don't sell yourself short, I am Ibara Shiozaki," The green haired girl chimed in with a kind and friendly smile, "It is a pleasure to meet you both! May I ask, how is your leg Shinso?"

"It hurts, might just be a sprain but it could be broken." He answered, wincing a bit as he tried to move it.

"I shall stay here until the officials arrive with a doctor." Shiozaki nodded in response.

Adachi slowly stood up, stretching his arms, "That sounds like a good idea, I don't mind hanging around."

Deciding to save frantically searching for the others for later, he stayed and shared some idle chatter with his two new acquaintances. That lasted until Recovery Girl arrived, and helped out anyone who was injured. As the practical part of the entrance exams came to a close Kaiji released a sigh of relief, knowing he had at least taken the first step. Sure, he didn't score the most Villain points, but he felt like this was the first time he got to really use his powers for something important!


	2. A Mighty Welcome

**LLThePhantom: Thanks lol yeah I thought I'd leave it up for 2 reasons, 1 being that since I'm not rewriting everything I still need the old material to copy paste and then rework as I go, and two because I'm sure some would find it fun to pick out the differences in the stories :3**

 **IVReal: HEY! Glad to have some of the old readers back, and I'm glad you're still hype as ever for this XD**

* * *

It was midday now, after the test everyone was told they would get results in a week or so to know how they did. So for now, the three friends were going to enjoy there day and talk about what fun, or terrors they faced in the exam.

"So then I was all like, 'Not today Giant Robot', and shredded the treads on its wheels and made it crash! Saving a couple people!" Kirishima boasted with a huge grin, leading the way as they walked down the street, "A few even cheered, it was so cool!"

Kaiji rolled his eyes, chuckling a bit, "You're amazing Kirishima, now if we could just do something about that mouth..." He joked, Ashido giggling as the red head turned on him.

"Oh yeah you wanna go?" He demanded with his ever burning intensity, "I'm ALL fired up! Let's spar!"

Kaiji waved him off, releasing a tired sigh, "No thanks I'm good, I'm still a little sore."

"Oh?" Kirishima blinked, his fire instantly turning to concern, or at the very least curiosity, "Yeah come to think of it, I didn't even bother getting the rundown of your exam..."

"What happened?" Ashido asked, poking her head over his shoulder

Kaiji shrugged, "I had an easy enough time fighting the mechs, shredding them with my claws but..." He stared down at his hands, the tips a bit swollen and red, "Shredding metal, after so many it started to wear on my hands... I'll be fine, don't worry." He assured with a smile, noticing how serious he had made it sound, "I just need to rest my hands, it should be okay once my regeneration kicks in! Really the thing that wore me down was trying to deal with that big robot!"

"Trying? You mean you couldn't destroy it?" Kirishima asked, crossing his arms. He was well aware of the extent of Kaiji's power, more so than most of their class. Those things were certainly big, but he knew that if Kaiji really had to...

"There was another candidate trapped under a building," Adachi explained, "I was worried that trying fight it at all with him so close might do more harm than good... Luckily someone else showed up! While she held up the building I managed to get him out." He said with a small smile, "Still though, we were in a real bind... If the timer hadn't hit zero when it did we might have been in serious trouble."

"Well if you're still sore its no problem, we can take it easy." Ashido smiled softly, "No need for sparing," She shot Kirishima a look, making him laugh nervously, "Sounds like you two did great out there!"

"Oh yeah, how did your exam go?" Adachi asked, realizing she hadn't talked a lot about it.

"Oh, mine wasn't nearly as eventful," She shrugged, "I just kinda... Walked around and melted a bunch of robots."

Kirishima cocked an eyebrow, "But how many points did you get?"

"Sixty-four."

"SIXTY-FOUR!?" Both Adachi and Kirishima exclaimed in shock.

"B-But I only got Twenty-Eight..." The snake tongued boy muttered, crestfallen.

"Guess we know who the strongest here is." Kirishima chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

Ashido giggled, bashfully grinning, "Oh please, I'm sure you guys just had... Tougher competitors, that's all! Come on, lets hit some place for lunch and maybe head down to the river afterwards?"

"Th-The River?" Adachi repeated, smile fading slightly.

Kirishima noticed, eyes widening a bit, "Uh... Hey the rivers so boring isn't it? Why don't we hit the arcade instead?"

"No way!" She argued, "I want some fresh air, plus we hardly ever go to the river!" She added, pouting as she stamped her foot and placed her hands on her hips.

"I mean, y-yeah because-"

"Sure," Adachi interrupted, putting on a smile, "L-Lets go to the River, we can hang out there for today."

Kirishima looked at him, trying to hide his surprise, "Uh... Alright, sure... Hey, Ashido why don't you head into the restaurant and get us a table, I need to ask Adachi something, man talk, ya know?"

The pink haired girl tilted her head confused, "Uh... Okay, I guess, don't take too long!" She smiled, heading across the street to one of their favored lunch spots.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Kirishima looked to his friend, "You sure about this? We don't have to go... I know you're already worn out."

Adachi's smile was gone for the moment as he stared at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck, "Eh, I'll be fine... Don't let me ruin your day-" He was just walking past Kirishima, but stopped when the red head grabbed his arm.

"Dude... You not having fun too will ruin my day," He said sincerely, "We're friends... You sure you don't want to tell-"

"No!" Kirishima flinched, taken off guard by his sudden outburst. Though he could tell from the frightened look on Adachi's face, he instantly regretted it, "I... I'm sorry... Maybe I should just go home..."

Kirishima released his arm, frowning at his friend with concern, "I promised I would keep your secret... So I won't say anything, but I think _you_ should. And I also think you shouldn't ditch us, come on this is supposed to be a happy day." He put on a smile, grabbing Adachi's shoulders, "Lets get in their, eat until we puke, then make some fun, better memories at the River!"

His enthusiasm was staggering, and infectious. Kaiji's smile slowly returned and he nodded, "Y-Yeah... You're right, I need to forget about all that, thanks Kirishima."

He nodded, patting Adachi on the back as they made their way inside the buffet...

 **. . .**

After completely stuffing themselves, the three friends were hobbling along down to the river. The sun shining overhead, and the sound of Kirishima's groaning filling the air.

"Told you not to eat so much," Ashido reminded, hands behind her head as she walked, "Don't know why you have to challenge Adachi like that whenever we go out to eat at the buffet..."

"Ugh... Because I just don't understand!" He exclaimed, jabbing an accusing finger at his reptilian friend, "He eats more than his entire body weight in food, and he still looks like a twig!"

Adachi blinked, snake tongue sticking out for a moment, "I mean to be fair, I don't weigh that much so eating my weight in food isn't really-"

"MISSING THE POINT!"

Both Adachi and Ashido laughed as he fumed. "You know, he isn't wrong, you can put away a lot, and you never seem to bulk up!" Ashido noted, as their laughter died down.

"Yeah, my Dad said it's probably because most of what I eat fuels my transformation." He shrugged, "I usually do get really hungry after I change, and I can't seem to put on muscle myself, but when I change my other form gets pretty strong." Adachi explained, "I guess my dad had the same problem when overusing his own expansion Quirk."

"That is so weird," Kirishima sighed, thinking it over in his head, "It's like, you're eating for your other body... Which I guess makes sense because of that whole no mouth thing..."

"That's the worst part about it," Kaiji shook his head, hands stuffed in his pockets as they neared the river, "I can't talk when I change, I'm worried if I do become a hero I might scare people using my power, and yet in this form my quirk is so weak."

"Hey, we're gonna be a team!" Ashido cut in, the brightest light in their group as per usual, "You let me do the talking, you two can do all the big strong guy stuff!"

Both Kirishima and Adachi blushed and chuckled, bashfully rubbing the back of their necks, "Thanks Ashido," Adachi said with a smile, "I'm sure we'll do great." He stopped, as they rounded the corner and now stood with the river edge in full view. A simple, familiar place, with a few benches and a covered pavilion a little closer to the road for when it rained.

 _"Come on... Just forget about it, and move forward."_ He told himself, but his legs seemed frozen in place. He clenched his eyes shut for a moment, trying to shake it off. But the moment they closed he saw it again, hearing the voices, head throbbing.

 _"Leave my friends ALONE! You big ugly MONSTER!"_

 _"Don't go any closer! Get back!"_

"Hey!" Adachi nearly jumped, eyes darting to Kirishima, and the hand he'd placed on his shoulders, "You good?"

"I-" He stopped, looking to see that Ashido had missed his episode, already running to the benches to kick back and relax, "I'm fine..." Shrugging off Kirishima, he made his way towards the benches as well.

The red haired boy sighed, shaking his head before following.

"Aaah~" The pink haired girl sighed contently, leaning back in her seat on the bench, "I love the river this time of year... Sure it's no Beach, but its so quiet and peaceful."

"Yeah, it is nice..." Kaiji replied, sitting down beside her, though his eyes were fixated on the ground. Trying to ignore the thoughts gnawing at the edge of his mind.

Kirishima was still standing, watching the two with closely for a moment. He could tell, that despite their talk Adachi was still thinking about it. He narrowed his eyes, _"I have to do something, Adachi doesn't deserve this it was just an accident."_ Opening his mouth, he began to say something when he was interrupted by a buzzing sound.

"Oh, sorry that's me." Ashido laughed nervously, pulling out her phone and answering it, "Hey Mom! Oh, dinner plans? Dad's back in town! Awesome I'll be right home!" She beamed, hanging up, and jumping up from her seat, "Sorry guys, my Dad's back in town, we're all gonna go out I've gotta go!"

Kaiji blinked, turning attention to her, "Hasn't your dad been out of town for a few months?"

"Yeah!" She grinned, "The Agency he works for is far up north, so he only stops by every few months to stay for a week or so before getting back to work! Oh I can't wait to tell him how good I did! See ya later guys!" She waved as she ran off, leaving the two alone along the river.

As the silence settled in, only being broken by the sounds of the nearby water on the shore, Kirishima sighed heavily, "You've gotta tell her..."

"And what would I say huh?" Adachi asked sharply, glaring at Kirishima, "Oh hey Ashido, sorry I traumatized you, but we're cool right?"

"Kaiji-"

"No," He cut him off, "I proved today I don't it to survive as a hero, I can forget all about that power! And... And I don't have to worry about scaring Ashi- anyone... Ever again." He lowered his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking off, "I'm heading home, see you later Kirishima."

"See you around, Adachi..."

 **. . .**

 **One Week Later**

 **. . .**

Kaiji was just getting home from training, stopping to check the mailbox as he passed. Blinking as he spotted a letter inside labeled with a special stamp. His stomach twisting into knots, he swallowed nervously and pulled it out. Before walking inside, kicking off his shoes and heading into the kitchen.

"I-It's here Dad!" He called out, instantly hearing a thud and crash from down the hall. Adachi grinned, knowing he had probably startled him in his study.

"It's here!?" His voice sounded back, the door to his little office sliding open as the middle aged man wheeled himself out as fast as he could, "O-Open it open it!" He demanded, sliding to a stop by the table.

Adachi nodded, though he was hesitant as he sat down. He didn't bother being careful, forming a few claws he tore open the envelope. Watching a piece of paper and a small disk shaped object fall out onto the table. Both Kaiji and his father watched it for a moment, blinking in confusion...

Before suddenly, the object erupted with light. An image shining on the nearby wall, "HELLO IT'S ME HERE AS A PROJECTION!"

"AAAGH!" Both Kaiji and his father cried at the sudden shouting, taken completely by surprise by the face of All Might.

"A-All Might?" Kaiji muttered, settling down and looking at the image in confusion.

"That's right! I'm here to give you the results of your Exam, and tell you if you've got what it takes to make it into the UA!" He said with a hearty laugh, "And to inform you, that I'll be joining UA as a teacher starting this year!"

"Whoa... That's so cool!" Kaiji muttered excitedly, "The number 1 Hero, teaching at UA..."

His father sweatdropped, still calming himself after the shock, _"I see he hasn't changed one bit..."_

"Young Kaiji Adachi, on the exam you scored average, racking up Twenty-Eight Villain points... This alone, unfortunately, is NOT enough to get into UA."

Kaiji felt his heart begin to sink, his smile turning to a frown quickly.

"However! There were factors you as a candidate, were not made aware of!" He continued, Kaiji tilted his head in confusion, as a screen beside All Might started showing his attempts to free the purple haired boy. Followed by distance images of him holding back the machines hand, "You see, during these exams, we offer extra points, given to those who willingly sacrifice, or risk themselves to help others! You had no reason to believe you would be rewarded for helping young Shinso... And for that! You have been awarded, an extra twenty-five Rescue Points!"

Kaiji felt his face beginning to light up, "D-Does that mean..."

"That's RIGHT! With those added points, you've got enough to Make it into UA! So it is with great honor, Kaiji Adachi, that I WELCOME YOU! To the Hero Academia!"

Kaiji jumped for joy, right out of his seat making it topple over, "YES! I made it!" he beamed, hugging his father tightly and lifting him right out of his wheelchair as he laughed, "I get to be a hero!"

"Haha! Now don't get ahead of yourself," His father laughed, patting him on the back, "You've certainly taken the first step, but there is a long way to go!"

"I know I know," Kaiji set him down carefully, wiping his misty eyes, "Thank you Dad, for everything... I'm gonna go call Ashido, and Kirishima to tell them the good news!" He beamed, running off to his room.

His father remained there, sighing with a content smile as he looked over a few of the additional papers that had came with it. Registration forms for costumes, some emergency info, the usual. Then he looked back up at All Mights big stupid grin, finding himself smiling a little brighter too, "Thank you, All Might..."

 **. . .**

That night, Adachi was laying in bed staring up at the ceiling unable to sleep. His mind was whirling with thoughts of the future, and what he was supposed to do now. There would be forms coming in the days following, he'd have to go through papers at his current school as well before leaving... But that was just the boring stuff. His mind was more so preoccupied with what would become of him as he worked through classes at UA.

 _"With somebody like All Might as a teacher? And other pros, it's gonna be so cool."_ He grinned lightly, rolling over on his side, staring at the stacks of various books and manga that lined his shelves _._ He tried to picture himself in some cool costume, knowing he'd be getting a form to fill out regarding it at some point. He imagined how he wanted to appear as a hero, and thought about some of the books he'd read before, and heroes he'd seen in games and movies _._

His thoughts slowly drifted, thinking about what he liked and how he could implement that style into what he was as a hero. Adachi couldn't help but think back to his roots, and some of his favorite stories from when he was more of a bookworn than a socialite. Basically back before he started hanging out with Kirishima and Ashido. Two titles came to mind, when he thought about things like dragons, something that had always stuck out to him because of his Mother and because of his own reptilian qualities.

Fengshen Yanyi, a book that was mostly about the creation of the gods in China. Coupled with a mixture of real history, dynasties and folklore, it was a bit dry but he'd always enjoyed it. Kaiji was always more interested in chinese mythology, mostly just because of Dragons, and his mother who originated from there. The second title was far more popular, and one he enjoyed picking up and rereading in his free time.

"Journey to the West." He muttered, eyes locking onto the book for a brief moment. Before he closed them and slipped a bit deeper into thought, "Hmm..."


	3. Fitness Training!

**IVReal: Nope you're right that was no in hte original! As I reread and prepared chapters for events down the line, I realized how much a blank slate Adachi was. Sure, I had his general morales and stuff like that sorted out. But I had never even taken the time to explain things he enjoyed in his day to day life, hobbies interests and the like. He grew and developed pretty well as a character, but as a person he was incredibly static with no real interests, I'm hoping to change that this time around :D**

* * *

"So, here we are..."

"We walk through that gate, and we begin our hero training..."

"Well don't just stand there slack jawed!" Kirishima put a hand on both Ashido's and Adachi's back, "LETS GOOOOO!" Shoving them through and into the yard between the gates and the doors inside, despite their protesting.

Today was the day, after three weeks of waiting, the first day of class at UA. All their training had finally paid off, and they were going to start the real work. All three were accepted into the Hero Course, and even better they were all in class 1-A. The trio of friends would be able to continue on together, a fact that elevated their spirits even higher.

As they passed through the doors, and into the well kept school, they took in all the sights. Soaking in every second, as they made their way towards their designated room. The could see the doors up ahead, when Kirishima stopped, spotting a familiar head with glasses.

"Hey! Aren't you the guy who stood up during the briefing for the practical exam?" He asked rather bluntly.

"Hmm?" The taller boy blinked, looking at them, "Why yes, I am the one who ascertained that vital information... My name is Tenya Iida, I take it you will be my class mates as well?"

"That's right," Ashido grinned up at him, "I'm Mina Ashido, this is Eijiro Kirishima, and Kaiji Adachi!" She introduced, while Adachi just waved.

"A pleasure," Iida answered, bowing his head, "Though you seem to already know each other, based on your demeanor this can't be your first time together."

"That's right," Adachi replied, finally chiming in, "We all come from the same school, we've been friends since we were kids."

"How fortunate, you all must be quite skilled and quite lucky." Iida noted with a polite smile, "Though, I feel I must warn you that this is not a place to pal around, we are all here to learn so try your best not to disturb-"

"Move it four eyes!" Adachi recognized that voice, as Iida was shoved out of the way of the door by the white haired boy from the Practical Exam. The same one that had been blowing away the mechs left and right.

"Agh! H-How rude!" Iida gasped, turning on the boy as he walked into the classroom, barking at him about manners and following. Seeming to completely forget about the three of them.

"Let's uh... Find our seats?" Kirishima suggested, and the three confused students made their way inside.

They had all been assigned seats, which meant they were spread out a bit. But Adachi was relieved to find he had a seat by the window, letting him sit in the sun. A quirk of his uh... Quirk, was a desire to nap in the sunlight. Though he was beginning to wonder if that might be detrimental to his school skills. Either way, he would take it and enjoy it for now. Setting down his bag and sliding into the chair, soaking in the warm light.

"Ahem."

"Huh?" He blinked, looking up at a bird faced individual, managing to hide his surprise at the sudden appearance of him. His raven black head with piercing red eyes were quite intimidating, "What's up?"

"You're in my seat." He said simply showing him the paper with his seating number on it.

"What? But that doesn't make sense, this is seat B-" Adachi stopped, seeing as he had read his number wrong, "Ugh, sorry about that." He sighed, standing up, "I'm a seat back."

"Hmm, yes, in the shade." Birdface said, looking at the seat behind Kaiji. It was the furthest back, and a Tree outside the window kept it deep in the shade, "Mind if I ask you a favor?"

"A favor?" Adachi repeated, his eyes drifting for a moment. He could see Ashido and Eijiro were already chatting up people around their desks, making friends quickly as they always did. _"I guess I should try to do the same..."_ He reasoned, before nodding, "Uh sure, what do you need?"

"Mind trading seats?" He asked simply, "I prefer... Less, sunlight, and since your stuff is already there..."

"Oh sure, no problem," Kaiji smiled, nodding his head, "I actually prefer the sunlight, so this works out!"

"Excellent, I appreciate it." He said, walking by and placing his bag beside the desk, "My name is Fumikage Tokoyami." He offered, extending a hand.

Adachi met him with his own, shaking hands with a smile, "Kaiji Adachi, nice to meet you."

 **. . .**

Only a few minutes after meeting their teacher, this strange Mr. Aizawa, the entire class was being hustled outside after changing into some athletic gear. He wanted to test their Quirks, get them more used to them in daily life. See if they could enhance their usual actions, more so than they ever had the chance to in school before! Unfortunately, there was a catch.

"Wait what!?" Someone exclaimed, "Expulsion! You can't do that!"

"I get to decide how this class is run," Aizawa replied sharply, brushing back hair from his eyes, a twisted grin on his face, "If that's a problem you can head home right now!"

Adachi bit his tongue, not wanting to draw the mans attention. But as his own eyes scanned his classmates, he could tell some of them didn't see this as a warning, they saw his threat as a challenge. Maybe that's what he needed to start seeing it as too, he could already tell the fire in Kirishima's eyes was lit by the chance they were being given.

 _"I didn't spend the last few weeks training just to back down,"_ Adachi decided internally, nodding his head as he returned his gaze to Mr. Aizawa, _"I'm ready for anything!"_

"Hey wait a minute!" A young girl cried out, Adachi had heard her talking to that green haired boy before. Her name was Uraraka, "On the first day? Doesn't matter how we do you can't just send us home that isn't fair!"

"And you think natural disasters are?" Aizawa answered her sharply, "Or what about power hungry villains? Or disaster events that wipe out entire cities? The world is full of unfairness, as heroes you have to learn to combat that unfairness..." He looked across their faces, a predatory glance that was already picking out the weakest of the teens, "Now then, that's enough talking! Let the games begin..." He finished, with no small amount of amusement in his voice.

 _ **50 Meter Dash!**_

Adachi watched as the others displayed their abilities one after another. Using whatever they could to move faster. That Iida guy was blazing, his engine legs blowing everyone else out of the water without a doubt. As the turns were going, Ashido approached Adachi, noticing he hadn't transformed yet.

"Oh," He chuckled when she brought it up, "Well, I figured that form packs on so much muscle I may be better off staying normal to be light weight... I did have an idea though," He smirked as his number was closing in. He kicked off his shoes, scales forming along his feet as well as claws from his toes, "I think I can give myself a little extra traction..."

Moments later, he was stepping up, "GO!" The machine called.

Kaiji took off as fast as he could, his breathing was better than during the Practical Entrance Exam, after doing some training to better prep his body. He was racing against the big guy with six arms. He was fast, but Adachi could tell he wasn't built for quickness. He was starting to lag behind, while Adachi wasn't even sprinting. After getting a good foothold with his claws, he was leaping further with every step, building momentum until he finally flew across the finish line.

"5.21 seconds! 6.53 Seconds!"

 _"Okay... Not anything phenomenal, good enough to keep me in, but the strength tests are where I can shine."_ He assured himself, remembering how he stopped that big machine, the memory solidifying his confidence.

 ** _Grip Strength Test!_**

"Th-That's amazing!" The green haired boy, Midoriya exclaimed, as he, Uraraka and Fumikage watched Adachi's transformation, "You're like an entirely different person! Those scales look strong! Can that tail help you swim? How strong is it?"

"Uh, Midoriya!" Kirishima interrupted his nerdsplosion, "He can't really talk in this form," He chuckled, crossing his arms.

"Oh... Really?" He blinked, looking up at him as if for confirmation.

Adachi nodded, tapping the armored plating over his face. Before he finally picked up the grip testers, and clenched it as hard as he could without breaking it though he was sure these things were meant to take a beating. He held it for a moment, before releasing as the numbers stopped moving.

"Whoa Adachi, 497 kilograms!" Kirishima exclaimed, "Aww man, I only hit 294 with my grip..." He groaned, though his smile returned as Adachi patted him on the back.

 ** _Standing Long Jump!_**

Nothing too difficult for Adachi, though his extra weight in his changed form was a hindrance, he made up for it by boosting off not only his strong legs but his mighty tail as well. Hitting the sands just short of the far end, landing him in the top ten scores for that round at least.

 **. . .**

As the tests continued, All Might was looking over some of their dossiers with a few others in the staff room as well. Most of them were interesting, definitely a promising year for new students. Especially those that got in through recommendation, but another caught his eye briefly, stopping on a page.

"So, this is Colossus' boy eh?" He questioned out loud, reading down his page, "Mmm, says here he doesn't seem to have any of his fathers power aside from regeneration, and enhanced strength... Seems to lean closer to what his mother was capable of," He noted, remembering the debacle between them years ago. Shaking it off and chuckling, "This kid... He'll go far if he has the right drive... And if his Quirk manifests itself in a good way."

 _ **Ball Throw!**_

"INFINITY!?" The entire class exclaimed, watching as Uraraka's ball just kept going and going, her gravity powers meaning it never really had to come down.

"That's insane... I only got One-Fifty, and even Adachi with his brute strength only ended up with Five Hundred and Eighty!" Ashido exclaimed in awe, Kirishima and Kaiji standing beside her.

"Amazing, some of these other quirks are incredible!" Kirishima beamed.

"Yeah, who's up last?" Ashido asked, blinking as Midoriya stepped up, "Oh, its him... I don't think I've seen him use his Quirk yet, have you guys?"

"Nope." Kirishima shook his head, "I don't think so... I wonder what it is?"

"Tch, Deku is just a quirkless loser." Bakugo scoffed, arms crossed as he watched, "He's never had a quirk."

"Yes he does," Iida argued, "Didn't you hear about the Practical Exam, he blew away that giant mech with just a single punch!"

 _"What!?"_ Adachi went wide eyed, remembering the massive machine, _"It took so much just to slow that thing down... And this guy wrecked one with a single punch!?"_

His eyes returned to the boy. He looked so... Average, it seemed impossible that someone like him could have that kind of power. Adachi shook it off, and waited, watching as he cocked back his arm, ready to throw. But just as he was tossing the ball, something seemed off. And Mr. Aizawa made a move.

"46 meters!" Average, at best.

"Wh-What happened?" Midoriya questioned, looking at his hand, "I... I was trying to use it just now..."

"I erased your Quirk." Aizawa said sharply, his scarf unfolding seemingly on its own. Hair lifting, and eyes glowing red, "The judges of the entrance exam were not rational... Someone like you should never be allowed to enroll at this school."

Adachi watched silently as did most of the class, not understanding why Mr. Aizawa seemed so angered at the moment.

"W-Wait... You did what to my- Ngh!" Midoriya's words hitched, recognizing the unkempt man as he looked at the goggles around his neck, "I-I know you! Those Goggles... You're Eraser Head! You can look at someone and erase their powers... The Erasure Hero..."

"Eraser... Head?" Someone repeated.

"I've never heard of that guy before." Ashido chimed in.

"I think I have," The frog girl added, "He usually works on the down low, _ribbit,_ I think."

"You're not ready, you don't have control over your power." Aizawa continued, the rest of the students straining to hear, "What were you planning to do? Break your bones again? Counting on someone else to save your useless body?"

"N-No! That's not what I-" Midoriya was cut off as he was ensnared by Aizawa's moving bands, the strips pulling him closer to the teacher.

Pulled in close, the rest of the students could hardly hear, "This sucks... I wanna know what they're saying!" Kirishima groaned, "What about you Adachi? You hear anything?"

Adachi slowly changed back to normal, rolling his eyes at Kirishima, "I'm a lizard not a fox you ass I don't have super hearing."

"Right right... Sorry." He chuckled lightly.

Adachi crossed his arms, his sharp eyes fixated on Midoriya as he thought over what the instructor had said. And what he'd heard from Iida, _"Destroyed one of those giants with a single punch... Breaking your bones "again"? Is it possible this simple looking kid has some incredible power that comes with a drawback? It would make sense... The only hero I could ever imagine flattening one of those metal monsters with a single blow is All Might... But if that's the case, what is he going to do?"_

Rather than continuing to think about it he halted all thoughts to watch, as Midoriya took his throwing stance after Aizawa released him. Everyone fell silent, eager to see what he would do. Cocking back his arm, he began the pitch, aiming high at an angle. Everyone watched closely looking for a sign of his ability, "SmmmmmmAAAAAAASH!"

It went off like a crack of thunder, a gust of wind unleashed as the ball went flying at a speed Adachi could barely follow! His eyes darted up, spotting the orb rising higher and higher at incredible speed, before beginning to plummet.

 _"Amazing! So much power in such a tiny-"_ His eyes landed on Midoriya's finger, the skin purple, the bone possibly broken. The boy's face itself contorted in restrained pain as he shot a confident look at their instructor, "Mr. Aizawa... S-See? I'm still standing!"

The man himself was, for the moment, impressed, "This kid..."

"Nice job Midoriya!"

"Wooo!"

"That was AWESOME!"

Kaiji watched with an internal smile, glad Midoriya had gotten at least one massive score. Really, he hoped nobody had to go home, but it seemed like Midoriya was willing to push himself harder than anyone to stay here. The reptilian man clenched his fists tightly, watching him return to his friends, _"Everyone here is so incredible, I hope I can keep up as I am now... And if I can't... I'll have to change."_

 **. . .**

Things were calming down after the practice, everyone happy that no one was getting sent home. A dirty trick by Mr. Aizawa, but it seemed effective at making everyone do their best. Adachi was just getting ready to head for the cafeteria when Mr. Aizawa appeared, blocking him from leaving.

"Adachi," He said simply, "You and I need to talk."

Kaiji swallowed nervously, "Wh-What about sir?"

He beckoned him with one hand, leading him to another room. One students might not have been allowed in normally, it looked like sound kind of lounge, probably just for the teachers. As they stepped in, Aizawa shut the door and turned on him with that empty, yet menacing stare.

"I told you to go all out today, didn't I?" He asked bluntly.

"I-I..." Kaiji stammered, _"Th-There's no way he could really know about-"  
_

"I know about your Mother and Father," Aizawa added before Adachi could continue, "And I know there is more to you than some scales and a lot of muscle... So I'll ask simply, why were you holding back?"

The boy was sweating, he swallowed nervously, "I... I guess it's just that, I don't trust myself with more power, I haven't developed good enough control... I already screwed it up once, and I can't-"

"If you can't trust yourself, than how do you expect your comrades too?" Aizawa interrupted sharply, "Or the people you're going to try and save? You're either gonna learn to use that power, or you're just going to be a ticking time bomb, its dangerous to have that kind of pent up energy."

"I-I... Yeah, I guess you're right," Kaiji sighed in defeat, "I'm scared to use it... I don't think I'm ready."

"You're right, you're not," Aizawa replied, leaning back a bit casually, "But, unless you start using it, you never will be ready, and UA is the place to start... I've gone over your files, what you've listed as a Quirk pales in comparison to what you might really be able to do, so get it together and get control... You came to this school to become a hero, so work harder."

Kaiji nodded slowly, taking a deep breath, "I understand... Thank you Mr. Aizawa."

"You can thank me by doing better, I know you're capable of it, so don't let me down."


	4. Costumes, Combat, and Roaring Fists!

After the first day, and Mr. Aizawa's trick, Adachi and his friends were cautiously eager for more. And when they returned the next day, they were somewhat happy it opened up with a simple grammar course, despite how boring it was...

After first period, they met up in the cafeteria, great food that was pretty cheap! And prepared by a well known Hero, who also happened to be a master chef! Adachi had a feeling they'd be seeing many notable heroes over the course of their time here.

Once lunch was finished, they were waiting in their classroom for the first _real_ day of hero training!

They were chatting idly, waiting for the instructor to appear, when suddenly an unfamiliar sound drifted in through the door...

"IIIIIIII-"

"Does... Anybody hear-"

"-IIIII AM HERE!" The door burst open, all eyes turning to the muscular form of the legendary hero, All Might, "COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A HERO!"

"Whoa it's really him!" Faces lighting up with excitement.

"All Might!"

"So he is a teacher at this school..." Adachi muttered in awe, watching as he stepped further inside, approaching the podium.

"Isn't that the Silver Age costume?" Asui pointed out.

Kirishima clenched his fists excitedly, practically bouncing around in his seat, "That is so cool! So retro!"

"Welcome to the most important class at UA High!" All Might began, standing before the podium with his fists on his hips. Looking as heroic as ever, "Think of it as Heroing 101! HERE you will learn the basics of being a Pro! And what it means to fight in the name of GOOD! Nooow lets get into it! TODAYS LESSON!" He turned quickly, thrusting forward a card with big bold print on it, "Will PULL NO PUNCHES!"

 _"Battle..."_ Adachi blinked in surprise, "So combat training, I guess this had to come sooner or later..."

"But! One of the keys of being of a hero iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis~" He turned right, jabbing a mighty finger at the wall as slots began to open, "LOOKING GOOD!"

"No way..." Adachi muttered, remembering those forms he filled out. He didn't really expect anything so soon! "Costumes!?"

The class was already cheering, and everyone scrambled for their suits. More than ready to follow All Might out to the training fields and show what they were made of! Adachi had to make sure to trade suitcases with Tokoyami, as they were all numbered by the seats they were sitting in. The two nodding to one another, as they started following after their teacher.

As they walked, Adachi took a deep breath, _"Alright, I'm ready for this!"_

 **. . .**

The boys and girls changed in separate rooms, for obvious reasons, just outside one of the fake cities they had fought in during the entrance exam. Inside the boys room, Adachi was looking at his costume with excitement, and hesitation. It was everything he'd asked for, though looking at it now he could see a few liberties that were taken by the makers... Either way, this was more than enough for him.

As he looked upon though, he felt a slight tinge of embarrassment flush his cheeks. Realizing a costume like this might make others look at him like a big nerd. Or maybe just like he was trying too hard... Adachi bit back those fears, shaking his head to brush them aside before beginning to slip out of his clothes, _"No, this is what I want my hero style to be! I didn't spend all that time practicing to get cold feet now!"_

His costume consisted of looser clothes, and less than he would usually wear. He slid on a pair of baggy shitabaki pants, commonly designed as the lower part of a martial artists fighting gi, now colored with black and light blue lines and beautifully detailed to look like waves of fire or water was washing down them. He tightened the black belt around his waist, before bending down to tighten the straps around his ankles, sealing the pants while keeping his feet bare so he could make use of forming claws of scales for more powerful kicks.

 _"I already decided during training that I need to get better at fighting in this form,"_ He thought to himself while making sure the belt was nice and tight, _"And that means maintaining scales to protect myself and fight with... I'm glad I practiced before school started."_

Adachi's torso was was left mostly barren, slipping on only a half shirt that rested easily around his waist with only a sash-like cloth wrapping up over his left shoulder to act as a support for it. It wasn't colored with the same beautiful details as his pants, instead it was a simple pale blue. Following that, he tightened on the black bands around his lower forearms and wrists. And then came the coup de gras, as he lifted the large round Kasa style straw hat from his case. Of course, it was made with a special, more durable fiber than straw so stuffing it in the case didn't harm it at all.

Adachi placed it on his head, the hat fitting into place so perfectly he didn't even need a strap for it! It was so big that it cast a shadow over his entire body. Afterwards, he stepped up to the mirror and looked himself over, _"This is amazing... And the notes that came with this said the material was more durable than standard fiber, and can stretch with my transformation so I don't have to worry about tearing it apart!"_ A grin of pride spread across his lips, as he clenched his fists tightly, "I love it!"

"Alright you look awesome Adachi!" Kaiji jumped in fright, as if he'd forgotten there were others here, when Kirishima stepped up and slapped him on the back, "You look like some kinda crazy Warrior Monk or something! Its amazing!"

Adachi blushed nervously at the appraisal while calming down, "Th-Thanks, you're suit looks awesome too!" He replied, knowing exactly who Kirishima had modeled it after, "Lets get out there and show what we're made of."

His red headed companion nodded, and together they stepped out of the changing area to join the others. Most of whom were gushing over their costumes in excitement.

"Heeeey guys!" Kirishima and Adachi turned at the familiar voice, eyes widening as they laid upon on Ashido in her new costume, "What do you think?"

 _"Woah..."_ Adachi's face was flushed red, terribly noticeable thanks to his pale skin. Eyes unable to avoid tracing every curve of her body suit, as he internally screamed.

"You look good, a little too colorful for my taste buuuut..." Kirishima nudged Adachi with his elbow. The helpless boy trying desperately to stop his nosebleed, "I think he likes it!"

"Ah hahah, y-yeah it looks great!" Adachi answered nervously, shooting Kirishima the look of death itself, "I _will end you for that Kirishima!"_

"Thanks Adachi~" Ashido giggled playfully, "I thought it might be a bit much, but you know me." She shrugged, "Always been a bit of a free spirit, yours looks great too!"

"Heh, thanks..." Adachi replied, nose still running a bit as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "I was kinda going for a warrior monk, great sage look, I think it turned out alright." Changing the subject, good, that would help, "The clothes are nice and baggy, and can stretch so I don't have to worry about tearing them when I transform." He added with a grin, fully recomposed.

Kirishima quirked an eyebrow, "That makes sense... But what's up with the big hat?"

"Uh..." Adachi's face flushed red again, "I just... I can use it for... I think big Kasa style hats are kinda cool..." He admitted begrudgingly, "And by kinda, I mean they're awesome and I've always wanted one..."

Kirishima burst into laughter, while Ashido patted him on the back, "Oh Adachi, you big dork, never change."

Adachi sighed heavily, lowering his head, "Couldn't if I tried."

 _"Leave my friends ALONE! You big ugly MONSTER!"_

Adachi winced a little, glad his big hat was hiding his face, _"Yep... Don't ever change..."_

 **. . .**

Once everyone was finished getting ready, All Might gave out his instructions and explained what the scenario for this training would be. Everyone would be divided up into teams of two, and one team of three. That would be decided by drawing lots, and afterwards they'd be put against one another in an urban battle scenario. It was simple enough, the villain team defends the weapon, while the heroes have to either reclaimed the weapon or incapacitate the villains.

It was almost like something out of an action movie!

Adachi was one of the last up, but he knew where his friends stood in their drawings. With Kirishima paired together with Hanta Sero, and Ashido on the three person team of her, Aoyama and Tokoyami. So it seemed they'd all be on separate teams, which would definitely make it more balanced than if they were all working together. He eagerly pulled out the slip of paper, "Team H." He read aloud.

"Looks like we're going to be partners, _ribbit._ " He turned to the frog faced girl, Tsuyu Asui, he remembered her from the fitness training, "Let's both do our best."

Adachi nodded, grinning as he raised a fist, "I don't plan on giving anything less!"

"Now then, if everyone has drawn..." All Might began, looking out across the class, "I declare that the first two teams to fight will be..." He stuffed his hands into two nearby boxes, one marked heroes and the other marked villains, "THESE GUYS!"

 _"Team D, and Team A."_ Adachi read off, "Looks like we get to watch for a bit, maybe we could talk strategy?" He suggested, looking down at his partner.

"Good idea, we should get to know each others Quirks beforehand, _ribbit._ " Asui nodded her head with a smile.

"Team A will be the Heroes!" All Might continued, pulling back their attention, "And Team D will be the villains! Everyone else can join me in the monitoring room to watch!"

"Yes sir!"

 **. . .**

From their things got more intense than anyone would have expected.

The first round with Iida, Uraraka, Bakugou and Midoriya turned into a grudge match between the latter members of the line up. Ending with the building totally wrecked, and Midoriya being sent to the nurses office unconscious and with a broken arm. Adachi was still trying to wrap his head around the guys Quirk, and what incredible power it seemed to hold.

The second round was fast, and cold. As Shouto Todoroki totally destroyed Ojirou and Hagakure with his insanely powerful Quirk. Freezing over the entire building and totally disabling those inside making reclaiming the weapon childs play.

"Now then, with that out of the way lets draw for round three!" All Might urged, drawing two more team names from the box, "We've got... Team H! And Team J!"

Adachi went wide eyed, turning to look across the room only to meet the eyes of Kirishima, "That's..."

The red haired boy smirked confidently back at Adachi, "Looks like we're going head to head, finally."

"Team H will be the Heroes and Team J will be the villains," All Might instructed, "Now get on over to Battle Site C and we'll kick things off!"

"R-Right..." Adachi nodded, digesting the fact he had to go really swinging at Kirishima. Sure, they'd done some training together in the past but... This was the real deal, they were competing against one another this time around.

In just a few minutes, he was standing outside the building with Asui as Kirishima and Sero set themselves up inside. The frog girl seemed to pick up on his distress pretty quick, as she nudged him to shake him out of his own thoughts, "Hey, remember this is just a training exercise," She reminded calmly, "You two are friends, I'm sure neither of you want the other to hold back and risk losing a better score right?"

"Y-Yeah... I know you're right," Adachi nodded before releasing a small sigh, "I'm just... Well, I guess its that and that I've never really fought a person before." He explained, "In the weeks leading up to school, I did some training by myself, to try and work on the skills that were falling behind... And now uh, well now I have to put them to the test."

" _Ribbit,_ I know you'll do fine," She assured, "You were great during the fitness test, just relax and stay focused... Now lets come up with a plan."

Adachi nodded, smiling lightly, "Right, we've already gone over our Quirks, but I guess I should mention that fighting Kirishima gives me an advantage," He explained, "I know most of his moves, and I know his scent so I can track him pretty easily... I think I can handle him, but that would leave Sero to you, I know all about Kirishima's Quirk but I've got nothing on Sero."

"He is the X factor here," Asui nodded her head, "Our best bet might be trying to separate them, but I'm not sure it'll be that easy."

Adachi crossed his arms in thought, "Hmm... If I know Kirishima... He'll probably be-" He blinked in surprise, "That's it."

Asui tilted her head, "What? _Ribbit._ "

"Kirishima is the kinda guy that likes a straight up fight," Adachi explained, "He's all about going head to head, no sneaking around or laying traps, so I'd say he's likely waiting for us with Sero right on top of the weapon... In fact, I'm sure he's just waiting to take a crack at me." He added with a nervous chuckle.

"You know him the best, so I'll trust your judgement." Asui nodded in agreement.

 **"BEGIN!"**

The voice of All Might ringing over their ear pieces signaled that the villains were ready and it was time to get started. Without wasting any time, the duo rushed into the building. Asui stuck to the walls while Adachi used his keen sense of smell via his tongue to lead the way. It wasn't hard to pick up on Kirishima's scent, and he started following right along with it. Asui stuck to the walls, hanging back a short distance just in case they were smart enough to set up some kind of ambush for them.

 _"It's true, I know a lot about Kirishima, but he also knows a lot about me."_ Adachi reasoned as he moved, trying to stay as quiet as possible, _"I tried to keep most of my training secret before school started, so I may have to rely on what I learned to gain the upper hand in combat... But that's fine, I want to get better at it after all."_ He held up a hand, signalling for Asui to stop as he reached a door on the second floor. The scent was stronger here, this had to be it!

Looking back at his team mate, the two silently nodded to one another. Before Adachi turned the nob on the door, and kicked it open hard!

"NOW!" Adachi's eyes widened, looking forward into the room he saw Kirishima and Sero. And following Kirishima's order, Sero thrust his elbow forward, unleashing a white line of... What the heck was that!?

"Adachi Move!" Asui cried, her tongue lashing out at her hesitant comrade. She managed to yank him back quickly, narrowly avoiding the stream being fired. He watched it keep going until it hit the far wall, sticking to it instantly.

"It's like tape?" Kaiji exclaimed, landing on his feet as Asui released him, "Hey, thanks... Sorry about that." He offered sheepishly, realizing how easily he'd frozen up.

" _Ribbit,_ don't worry about it, just get ready!" She urged, landing on the ground beside him.

"You're lucky you've got such a quick ally Adachi!" Kirishima cried out, stepping into the hall outside the room. Behind him, Adachi could see various lines of Sero's tape crossing the room back and forth creating a series of netting they'd have to cross to reach the weapon, "I knew you'd use that tongue of yours to sniff me out, you big scaly weirdo." The read head chuckled, flashing his pointy teeth, "So I thought it'd be a good idea to wait and get ready for you guys."

Adachi smirked lightly, "Sneak attacks aren't very manly you know?"

"Heh, nobody said villains had to be cool." Kirishima retorted, "Now, are we gonna do this or what? I've been itching to fight you for real!"

He nodded slowly, "Right... Asui, think you can handle Sero alone? I'll try to buy us some time and keep Kirishima busy."

"Buy time, _ribbit_?" She replied after a moments thought, "No, you'll beat him, I'll see if I can't get past Sero!" Without waiting, she sprung forward latching onto the ceiling and starting to move forward along it quickly.

"I'll give you an opening!" Adachi grinned spurred on by her confidence in him, taking a deep breath before rushing forward, _"This is it!"_ His reptilian pupils narrowed to slits, "Lets GO KIRISHIMA!"

"YEAH COME ON!" His friend began hardening his arms, at the same time Adachi's arms were forming scales and claws. The two closed the distance between one another quickly, Kirishima cocked back a fist and aimed it right for Kaiji's face.

But before the blow could hit, Adachi ducked low dropping into a fighting stance Kirishima hadn't seen before, taking him completely off guard as he dodged the blow. Adachi jabbed up with an open palm, directing Kirishima's punch upward and forcing his forward momentum to work against him. While his other hand delivered an open palm strike to the center of his stomach before the red head had time to harden it.

"Gaah!" He gasped, the wind getting knocked out of him for a moment. He stumbled back and prepared to defend himself, "Wh-What the heck was that!?"

Adachi flashed a confident smirk, staying low in his fighting pose, "That, would be Dragon Stance." Before advancing once again, firing short controlled open palm strikes at Kirishima. His hard body took the blows without any trouble, but he was still on the defensive trying not to give an opening. Adachi's relatively faster speed was making it hard for him to find a chance to counter. And his own touch scales protected his hands from striking Kirishima's hard body, "Did you honestly think I would waste my time trying to beat you in a slug fest?"

"Ngh! S-So you learned to fight better!" Kirishima continued blocking the blows, realizing he was being backed into the wall he started digging in his heels, "Its about time! You may have a lot of power but your technique was terrible!" He narrowed his eyes suddenly, finding his opening as Adachi pulled back from his last strike, "Unfortunately-" He suddenly brought up his hand, interrupting the follow up strike right at the wrist and knocking aside his hand, "You're no master!" He yanked Kaiji forward by the wrist, slamming their heads together as he hardened his own.

"Agh!" Adachi yelped in pain, reeling back from the blow to his head.

At the same time, Asui was jumping from wall to wall trying to dodge Sero's tape barrage. Using all her wits to avoid the traps he'd lined up throughout the room. She wanted to make a move on the weapon, but there was no way to reach it without hitting Sero's tape!

"Come on Adachi!" Kirishima was pressing his advantage, throwing a punch that Kaiji only just managed to block by raising his hands, "Quit holding back! This won't be a real fight unless you can give me everything you've got!"

"Hnngh!" Adachi winced, one of Kirishima's punches grazing his cheek, the jagged edge of his skin breaking it and leaving a small cut. Kirishima was pushing hard, trying to land a hit to knock him out of this fight, "Y-You sure you can handle that Kirishima!?" Adachi taunted, "B-Because I know you're quirk has its limits! You can't keep your body hardened FOREVER!" Taking a chance, he swung his fist upward hard at the same time Kirishima threw his forward.

"Oooh!" Everyone in the monitoring room winced, as both Adachi and Kirishima punched each other right in the face.

 _"I knew it!"_ Adachi cringed, already feeling his cheek starting to swell a bit, "Y-You can't attack and defend at the same time without draining your stamina too much!" He declared, back stepping quickly to gain some distance as Kirishima wiped his jaw, "Both of us have got a long way to go, but I'm not losing this fight!" He clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth, "GRAAAH!"

Muscles bulged out, his body morphing as he grew in size filling out his baggy costume quickly. His tail slammed the ground, and he locked eyes on Kirishima as the transformation ended. The Red head grinning wildly with excitement, "ALRIGHT! Now that's what I'm talking about! LETS GO!"

Adachi snarled through his armored muzzle, breaking into a run towards him as his clawed feet tore into the floor with every heavy footed step. Kirishima used his remaining stamina to harden his entire body to the very limit, and braced for impact!

Adachi slammed right into him, not throwing any punches just lowering his shoulder and driving it into Kirishima's stomach. He lifted him right up off his feet and kept charging, "Gah! Wh-What the heck are you doing!?" Kirishima demanded, looking back briefly as he realized they were rushing right towards the room with the weapon.

 _"Sorry Kirishima! But that hard body of yours makes an excellent battering ram!"_ On the inside, Adachi was grinning from ear to ear as he used his friend to charge right through Sero's tape traps!

"What the hell!?" Kirishima's partner exclaimed as they blasted through the doorway, watching as they started plowing through all the lines of tape he'd set up.

"St-Stop him!" Kirishima cried out, punching Adachi, kicking and flailing trying to get free as they were both slowly bogged down by more and more tape.

As the strips kept being torn away by their flailing, Asui saw her moment and lunged for the weapon. Sticking to it after passing through a narrowing opening in Sero's web, she claimed the weapon!

"Hero Team WIIIIIIINS!" Everything came to a halt as All Mights voice sounded through their headsets.

Kirishima stopped his flailing and slumped against Adachi in defeat, "Awww man, I was just getting into it!"

Adachi rolled his eyes, peeling Kirishima off of him along with much of the tape before starting to revert to normal, "That was fun... Can't believe I was worried." He chuckled lightly, looking to Asui, "Nice work."

" _Ribbit,_ I didn't do much, but you were amazing." She offered with a smile, "You okay though? Your cheek is still kinda..."

Adachi blinked, reaching a hand up and touching his cheek. He instantly regretted it as it stung badly from where Kirishima slugged him, "Tsss! Ow, ow... I'll be okay, its just a little swollen."

Kirishima was busy trying to peel tape off of his body, with the help of Sero. Asui nodded her head, looking to the other two before releasing a small sigh, "This class is intense."

* * *

 **Small note, if nobody feels like looking up what a Kasa hat looks like, imagine a big version of Samurai Jacks hat, or Raidens big round hat from Mortal Combat lol XD  
**


	5. Past Mistakes, and Future Evil

_"Go AWAY!"_

 _What?_

 _"W-Wait! Stay away from that thing!"_

 _Why is everyone yelling?_

 _"S-Some kind of beast!"_

 _A-A beast? Where!?_

 _"Go AWAY! Leave my friends ALONE! You big ugly MONSTER!"_

 _Y-Your friends? I- Don't you recognize-_

 _"Don't go any closer! Get back!"_

 _"It must be a villain!"_

 _I'm not a villain!_

 _"STOP!"_

Adachi jolted up in bed, gasping for breath as he awoke from the nightmare. He'd broken out in a cold sweat, he brought a hand up to his face to wipe his eyes. Head throbbing, he took a few moments to catch his breath and calm down before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and getting up.

 _"Why is this happening?"_ Adachi asked himself, attempting to quietly make his way to the bathroom down the hall. Once inside, he flicked on the light and stared at himself in the mirror. Sighing as he splashed some water on his face, _"This shouldn't be happening anymore, everything is fine now, I'm training, we're all in UA, and we're all gonna be heroes! But why can't I get over that one-"_

"Kaiji." Lifting his drenched face, the boy met eyes with his father. He had a concerned look, staring up at him from the doorway of the bathroom.

"O-Oh, morning Dad, I was just gonna get a glass of water and start getting ready for school..." He lied terribly.

His father was unconvinced, "Kaiji, it's three in the morning... Come on, why don't we talk?" Kaiji could tell his father wasn't really asking. He didn't have much choice but to face the music.

With a sigh, the boy followed his father out into the kitchen and sat at the table. His father rolling up to the opposite side, "Look, Dad it's fine, just school stress I'm-"

"You've been having nightmares since long before UA, Kaiji." He was right to the point, unsurprising for a former hero more known for brawn than brains, "What is this really about Kaiji?"

His eyes were lowered to the table, hesitant to look up at his father as he got his thoughts in order. Trying to sort these damned emotions, "Dad... I... There's a part of my Quirk I've been hiding..."

He cocked an eyebrow, more concern showing, "Hiding? Kaiji, why would you-"

"When I was still little, when my Quirk was just starting to manifest I... I discovered a way to transform further... It made me bigger, stronger, like your Quirk used to." Kaiji went on, the words pouring out, "I-I thought it was amazing, I felt so powerful! I wanted to show Kirishima, Ashido, everyone at school how strong I was..."

His father went wide eyed, suddenly beginning to understand.

"I rushed to the picnic they were having down by the river, it was a class trip for fun b-but when I got there..." He nails began digging into the table, eyes clenching shut, "E-Everyone thought I was... Some kind of monster!"

His father sighed heavily, sinking back in his wheelchair. Remembering it like it was yesterday, one of the scariest moments he'd had as a single father. A call from the school telling him some strange beast was roaming around, it got chased off by one of the kids but Kaiji was missing... Naturally everyone feared the worst, nobody assumed it could have actually been...

"I ran up to Kirishima, I-I tried to say something, but I couldn't talk!" Kaiji went on, shaking his head, "He was so scared, he couldn't even move... When I tried to ask him what was wrong, the adults saw me, started yelling... A-And then Ashido-"

 _"Go AWAY! Leave my friends ALONE! You big ugly MONSTER!"_

"I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to change back so I just... Ran," Kaiji shook his head, "Kirishima found me later, after I'd returned to normal..."

 _"Adachi! Thank goodness you're okay! Some huge monster was roaming around the town, b-but Mina scared it away! You should have seen her she was so-"_

 _As he went on, Adachi curled up, sobbing at his feet and muttering, "I'm sorry" Over and over again._

"He figured it out pretty quick... He was pretty smart even back then," Kaiji muttered, releasing a tired sigh, "He told me that Mina cried, after being so brave she started to cry and it just... I couldn't handle knowing I'd made one of my best friends feel that way, that I'd made everyone so horrified..."

"And you go on being her friend, even though she doesn't know." His father finally spoke up, Kaiji looking up to meet his eyes, "You feel guilty... Even though you were just kids, and couldn't have known any better... You feel like you hurt a friend, and without telling her the truth you've just been lying all this time..."

Kaiji wiped his eyes slowly, brushing away any remaining sleep in them. He felt a little better, finally talking about it, "I guess... Yeah, that's about it... She thinks I'm this great person and, I don't know, I've been lying to her for years about it... Restraining my Quirk, ignoring this other part of me." He shook his head, "W-What if I did tell her, and she hated me? What if it brought back that terrible memory? What if sh-"

"Kaiji!" He cut him off, slamming a hand on the table, startling the boy, "Do you honestly think so little of your friends?"

"S-So little of... No of course not!" He assured, worried he'd made things worse, "I... I'd do anything for them, Kirishima and Ashido, they're my best friends! I... I think the world of them..."

His father's stern look softened slowly, forming a faint smile, "Then you need to tell her the truth, if she is really one of your best friends, she'll understand... She might be a little mad for a little while, but I don't think someone like Mina Ashido is capable of hate."

Kaiji stared into his fathers eyes while his own were filled with fear, he knew it would not go so smoothly. But, it had to be done, _"I... I'll never become a great hero by lying to my friends..."_ He took a deep breath, packing away all his worries, and nodded to his father.

"I'll do it..."

 **. . .**

The sun was just breaking the horizon when Ashido arrived at the riverside. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, she was still in her pajamas and wrapped in a blanket to ward off the cold. She spotted Kirishima and Adachi, talking by one of the far benches. Both were dressed in loose morning clothes, like they'd just rolled out of bed too.

They seemed to silence at her approach.

"Morning guys," The pink girl yawned, stretching a bit, "I got your message Adachi. What's up? I'm not usually up this early before school..."

The boy in question stood up from his seat, Ashido could see he looked exhausted. But he also had a fiery determination in his eyes, something hiding behind it too but she couldn't quite make it out, "Ashido, you've been a good friend to me, for years... You've put trust me that I don't deserve, you've believed in me, despite how I've acted..."

"Adachi," Ashido frowned, not understanding what was going on, "You're not making any sense, what are you-"

"Let him finish," Kirishima interrupted, arms crossed as he watched, "He's facing up to his mistakes, like a man."

"I lied to you, a long time ago I did something reckless, and you were hurt, and I never told you the truth." He explained, taking a deep breath before he sighed, "I made you cry, I scared all of my friends, our teachers..."

Ashido took a step forward, "Kaiji, you aren't making any sense... You've never made me cry, come on you know I don't do that," She forced a laugh, trying to raise his downed spirits, "I'm the tough girl."

"Ashido, Adachi was that monster that showed up at our school picnic when we were little." Kirishima explained, saying what Adachi was too nervous to admit.

Her eyes widened, looking at her red haired friend before returning the look to Adachi, "I... What? That's... That's impossible... You can't turn into-"

"I found out I could push my transformation further, on accident," He sighed, shaking his head, the look on his face telling her it was no lie. "I was playing around and practicing before the picnic because I wanted to impress our friends but... Something happened, I changed and I ran to you guys to show you, because I thought it was amazing and I just..."

Ashido took a step back, remembering that terrifying day. Trying to put the face of that... Beast, to Adachi. It didn't seem possible, and he was just a kid? Capable of turning into something so scary? Her eyes slowly turned to Kirishima, "And you knew?"

"I found out later when I found Him." He explained calmly, "I promised I wouldn't tell you, or anyone about his Quirks new power... All he's done is try to make up for it, but he has nightmares, and he can't even come back here without remembering what happened!"

"My father didn't even know, until a few hours ago." Adachi admitted, finally looking into her eyes, "Look, Ashido, I'm sorry... I thought I could just ignore that part of me, and not use it, pretend everything was fine and just... Go back to normal." He sighed, shaking his head, "But with the new pressure from school I... I guess I just couldn't take it, you put so much trust in me and... I don't know if I deserve it, not when I've been lying to everyone for so long."

That's really what had been killing him these past few days since school started. Everything at UA was about being a hero, justice and becoming better than you were. But he felt like scum for hiding such a secret and still pretending to be a hero. Sure, he felt bad that he made her cry, but he felt worse that she still thought he was some amazing person. He didn't think she would feel the same if she knew the secret he'd been hiding.

Ashido remained silent, burying the lower half of her face in her blanket as she digested the information. Remembering her time with her friends over the years, how Adachi was always sticking his neck out for her. Taking the brunt of punishments when they got into trouble, helping her out even if it meant blowing off someone else. She always thought it was because he...

But was it just because he felt bad?

Beyond that, when she stood up to that creature it was the moment that defined her. It was then that she decided to she wanted to help others and protect her friends. The moment she decided she wanted to be a hero! And now, to find out that she was never really in any danger, that it was all fake?

"Adachi I... I need some time to think about this." She finally replied, and Adachi felt his heart sink a little, "I'll... See you guys at school."

Well, it wasn't as bad he'd thought it would be, "I understand..." He answered somberly as she walked off back towards her home. As she turned the corner, Adachi released a breath he'd been holding, and lowered his head.

"Hey, you did the right thing, for better or for worse," Kirishima smiled, patting him on the back, "No need to beat yourself up anymore."

"Yeah... Just took me about 8 years to do it." He sighed shaking his head, "I'm gonna go get ready for school, I'll see you at the station." He waved him off, turning and heading back towards his own home.

 **. . .**

The day went by slow, and Adachi didn't exactly feel present for most of it. He was sulking, but really he looked no more tired than usual. He was just smiling a lot less when Bakugou threatened to kill someone, usually Midoriya. Ashido was quieter too, talking to her friends but not going out of her way to get involved. They voted for a class representative and there was a big scare about intruders, which turned out to just be the press...

But aside from that, the day passed just like normal until Hero Training.

"Today's training will be a little bit different, you'll have Three Instructors," Mr. Aizawa explained as he stood before the class, "Me, All Might and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."

 _"Huh, that's new... But I guess I can't say I'm opposed to seeing more All Might,"_ Adachi thought to himself idly, _"That guy is like an explosion of positivity, I could definitely use some of that right now."_

"Uh, Sir!" Another student raised his hand, "What kind of training is this gonna be exactly?"

"I'm glad you asked," Aizawa replied, holding up a card that simply read, RESCUE, "Today will be rescue training, you'll be learning how to handle natural disasters, sinking ships, widespread fires, all at a special facility further away from the main school."

"Something new." Adachi smiled a little, "That should take my mind of things." He perked up a bit, this could at least be fun.

"Sounds like we might be in for a workout."

"Totally!"

"This sounds like real hero stuff!" Kirishima beamed, leaning forward on his desk, "I'm shaking with excitement!"

"I can finally show off my moves in water _ribbit_." Asui chimed in, tapping a finger to her face.

"I wasn't finished!" Aizawa called, drawing eyes back to him, "What you wear for this training is up to you, but because I know you all like costumes..." The room lit up with cheers as the panels slid out with their numbered cases, "But keep in mind you haven't gotten used to them yet, they may very well hinder you if you aren't prepared... Because we're going to an off campus facility we'll be taking a bus to get there, that is all, start getting ready." He ordered, walking off and out of the room.

Adachi grabbed his case, opening it up with a grin. Grabbing his gear and getting changed fast, he didn't want to miss the chance for a good seat on the bus. A fear born of public transportation, but that is a much less interesting story... Once they were all finished, the class met outside where the bus was waiting for them.

"Hey," Adachi turned, seeing Kirishima approaching, "Your head in the game scaly?" He asked with a joking grin.

He laughed nervously, "As much as it can be I guess... You talk to her at all?"

"A little," Kirishima shrugged, there seats were pretty close to one another, "She is pretty down right now too, I think this whole mess just brought up those bad memories for her..."

"Yeah, I know what that feels like." Adachi sighed heavily.

"But it isn't just that," Kirishima said, as Iida began shouting about how they were supposed to board the bus, "I think... What happened back then changed her."

"What do you mean?" Adachi asked confused.

"Sure, she always talked the talk at school, so did I," He went on, "But when you showed up... The way you did, she thought it was a serious life or death situation, she put herself in harms way like a real hero would to protect us, even when I couldn't even move." Kirishima explained, looking towards Ashido as she talked with Uraraka, "I think finding that it really was no threat, just you... It's making her question if she really had the resolve to make it this far, without that event driving her."

Adachi lowered his head a bit, immediately returning to sulking, "Ugh, great, now I've not only made her sad but driven her into an existential crisis!" Earning a laugh from Kirishima, as he dragged him to the bus.

As they loaded up, Iida lamented that the open bus seats totally ruined his boarding "strategy". But as they got moving, and the students began chatting among themselves, Adachi was surprised to find Tokoyami taking a seat beside him. They hadn't talked much, just a few times during lunch but he seemed to enjoy the quiet. The bird faced boy had been pretty friendly with Adachi since trading seats.

"O-Oh hey Tokoyami," He greeted, putting aside his own thoughts for a few minutes, "What's up?"

"Not much, I just happened to notice you brooding quite a lot today." He stated rather bluntly, a ghost of a smirk on his beak as he added, "I hear talk that you're giving me a run for my money."

Adachi laughed at that, but also blushed a little with embarrassment, "Am I that obvious? I'll try to brood more quietly next time." He joked a bit, trying to deflect so he didn't have to talk about it.

"In a class as noisy as ours, the absence of sound is the loudest, and your seat is deafening." He responded quite eloquently.

Adachi blinked in surprise, "That was... A little dramatic, b-but uh, I'm fine really just some personal stuff."

"Hmm, sounds like some you and your friends stuff."

 _"Nothing get's past this bird brain it seems..."_ He sweatdropped, "I just... Did something stupid, and I'm finally paying for it I guess." He shrugged, "I've done all I can to apologize, I just need to wait and see if she forgives me..."

"Mmm, have you tried forgiving yourself?" Tokoyami asked, making Adachi stiffen, "You know, perhaps you and I share something in common... I have not talked to many about my Quirk, but I control a strong being of darkness... At night, he is hard to control, and very dangerous... If I'm not careful, someone can easily get hurt."

"And... How does that mean we have something in common?" Adachi asked cautiously, wondering if he was referring to his third stage. But that couldn't be possible, there were only three people in the entire world that knew about it!

"Because we've harmed others without meaning too," He answered simply, "You never intended to hurt anyone, you're too nice, I can see that clear as day." Tokoyami added, keeping on a stone cold serious look, "Accidents happen, but if you continue to blame yourself you'll never conquer that fear of yourself, and you'll never become as capable a hero as you could be... You do us all a disservice by beating yourself up over it."

Adachi stared blankly at the bird faced student, Tokoyami began to sweat under his colleagues dumbfounded expression. His serious appearance starting to crumble, "Wow Tokoyami, that is some deep stuff, and some good advice." He chuckled nervously, "You're a pretty cool guy, thanks."

He nodded with a relieved smile of his own, "Of course, we're all comrades right?

"Right."

 **. . .**

They were lead into the facility upon arrival by the famous space Hero 13, renowned for rescuing people from disasters all over the world. The building was some kind of massive dome, covering a huge area. They doors they entered through had them overlooking much of it. Adachi could see a lake in the distance, a few smaller domes as well as a mountain area. It was like a giant theme park!

"I created this training facility to prepare you for different types of disasters! Whether they be wind storms, fires, landslides, shipwrecks, etc." 13 Explained, spreading her arms wide atop the steps, "I call it, _The Unforeseen Simulation Joint!_ Or, USJ, for short."

 _"Huh, just like Universal Studios Japan..."_ Adachi thought to himself.

"Now, before we begin, let me just say one thing... Or two thi- maybe three, or four... Five?"

"We get it!" The students answered as one, eager to get down to business.

"Listen carefully," She began finally, "I'm sure you're aware that I have a powerful Quirk, it's called Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it to dust."

"Yeah," Midoriya spoke up, Uraraka practically bouncing with excitement beside him, "You've used Black Hole to save hundreds of people from disasters!"

"That's true," She nodded, lowering her arms, "But that same Quirk could also very easily be used to kill... Many of you also have Quirks that can be quite dangerous! In our super human society, all Quirks are watched over and stringently regulated so people often overlook how dangerous they can actually be... Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make a wrong move your powers can be deadly, even if you're trying to do something virtuous like rescuing someone... Thanks to Aizawa's fitness test you have a solid idea of your Quirks potential, and because of All Might's combat training you've likely started to understand how dangerous your Quirks can be when used on other people..."

Adachi nodded his head, _"Those punches Kirishima and I traded, they could have really hurt someone without our level of durability... And in the practical exam, if I hadn't been careful trying to save Shinso he could have still be crushed!"  
_

"Carry those lessons over to this class!" 13 Continued, the students watching with rapt attention, "Today, you're going to use those lessons to save peoples lives, you're not using your powers to attack enemies or each other, you're here to help! After all, that's what being a hero is all about! Ensuring the safety of others... That's all I have to say," She finished with a slight bow, " Thank you so much for listening."

The students gave her a round of applause, smiling and talking among each other about how cool 13 was. While Aizawa stepped forward, "Right, now that that's over-"

The lights in the dome suddenly began to dim, sparks flying as the circle of bright lights around the ceiling shattered one by one. Adachi looked to the others, wondering if this was some part of the test. Then to the instructors, watching as Aizawa's face twisted with worry, eyes glancing down to the center courtyard of the dome.

A swirling mass of purple and black began to form, spreading wider and wider across the center, "Stay together and don't move!" Aizawa commanded suddenly, "13! Protect the students!"

Figures began to emerge from the wall of darkness. Quirk wielders of all shapes and sizes, many of them armed. Adachi could feel his heart begin to quicken, something in the air making his animal instincts kick in. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

"Wait, what's that?" Kirishima questioned, stepping forward to get a better look, "I thought we were rescuing people?"

Midoriya took a step forward as well to see what was going on, "Stay back!" Aizawa snapped at them, pulling out his goggles and putting them on, "This is real, those are villains!"

"What?"

"Villains!?"

"In the school?"

Adachi swallowed nervously, watching as the final figure stepped out of the darkness. A massive man, black skin with an exposed brain and a birdlike face. As he stared at the face of this monster, his heart began to pound in his chest. Every animal instinct he had telling him to run, to flee here and never return for fear of what that thing was capable of.

"This is... This is wrong!"


	6. Rumble in the Faux Forest

**Thanks to both Guests who reviewed! I'm glad you're enjoying the remake so far, and please don't be afraid to suggest things you'd like to see changed this time around!**

* * *

Adachi's own heartbeat was making it hard to hear. As people began to talk, and the villains were advancing. He looked around the crowd of students, noting the fear and worry on most of their faces. Of course, Todoroki and Bakugou seemed completely unfazed by this. They were the most skilled out of our entire group so it made sense.

Adachi flinched, eyes finally landing Ashido. He looked away, seeing a familiar fear in her eyes. He clenched his fists tightly, _"These... These damn villains! Why is this happening? Why now!?"_

"13, get the students out of here and alert the Campus." Aizawa ordered, goggles on and his bands at the ready, "Although, if the alarm systems are down they could be jamming our communications as well... Kaminari, use your Quirk to try and contact the school!"

"Y-Yes sir."

"What are you gonna do!?" Midoriya questioned as he stepped forward, "You can't fight them all on your own, there's too many of them... Even if you can nullify their Quirks, your fighting style's not suited for this, your power works best in stealth and one on one fights... It's not gonna help in a group."

Aizawa shot Midoriya a look, "You can't be a pro if you've only got one trick... I'll leave it to you 13." Before he dashed off, jumping down the stairs and charging into battle.

As the fighting began down below, 13 urged everyone to the doors, "Come on follow me!" She ordered, the group running for the exit, "Nobody panic, we're all gonna make it out!"

Adachi raced alongside his class, fearing to look back. Aizawa, Eraser Head, was good, he was a pro. But that big brained monster, something about him made Adachi's stomach churn.

"You felt it too right?" Asui asked as she ran beside him.

He nodded slowly, "So I'm not the only one... I forgot I'm not the only animal here." He added with a nervous smile.

"Whatever that big guy can do, just looking at him gives me goosebumps, _ribbit._ "

The class came to a halt suddenly, as another dark rift opened on the floor before them. Rising out of it was that phantom form, his eyes burning into them, "A pleasure to meet you all, we are the League of Villains, I know it's impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this Haven of Justice to say hello." His voice was condescending, deep and powerful. He wasn't some lackey, this guy was the real deal, "And besides, isn't this a fitting place for the Symbol of Peace, All Might, to take his last breath?"

 _"All Might? They are after All Might? Are they insane?"_ Adachi questioned, watching and ready to act if the big guy tried anything, _"But to even suggest that... Do they really have a way to do it?"_

"I believe he was supposed to be here today and yet I see no sign of him," The wraith-like being continued, "There must have been some change in plans we could not have foreseen... Ah, well in the end it doesn't really matter," His form was beginning to shift, he was about to try something! "I still have a role to play!"

"Hyaaagh!" Adachi gasped, watching as both Bakugou and Kirishima charged forward. Lunging at the big cloud of darkness, striking with full force and creating an explosion, the blast blinding everyone with smoke for a moment. The two touching down, the cloud seeming to dissipate.

 _"D-Did they get him?"_

"Did you think we were just gonna stand around and let you tear this place to shreds?" Kirishima asked with a confident smirk, hardened arms at the ready.

But their confidence faltered, as he reformed completely. Unfazed by their attacks, "You certainly live up to your schools reputation... But you children should be careful, or else someone might get HURT!"

"G-Get back!" 13 commanded.

But it was too late, the wraith formed an expanding torrent of darkness that began to swallow up the students, "I'll scatter you across this facility, to meet my comrades, AND YOUR DEATHS!"

Adachi felt something begin to engulf his form, like he was being pulled away. He could hear the yelling of others, the shouting and the fear, "Adachi!" His eyes widened, looking to Ashido as she reached out to grab his hand, "Hang on!"

He tried to reach her, but before he could make contact the void swallowed him whole.

 **. . .**

When he was able to see again, Adachi was falling. Not very far, maybe only ten feet off the ground, but he still hit it hard and jarred his senses. But the earth beneath him was soft, grass on the ground in the middle of some indoor forest. The boy rose to his feet on shaky legs, groaning in pain as he attempted to steady himself and process what just happened, _"I was... Teleported? It must have been that smokey guys Quirk."_ His eyes quickly darted around, "Nobody else... Were we all sent to different places?" He wondered aloud, bending down to pick up his Kasa hat.

"Heh, didn't take long for you to put that together." Adachi turned his head quickly at the shrill voice, stiffening as he met the eyes of a man with the facial features of a wolf. With silver fur and a canine snout, big pointed ears as well. He was wearing nothing but a pair of raggedly jeans, while a bushy tail waved behind him, "Not that it'll help you."

"So this was all planned..." Adachi muttered, eyes narrowing sharply, heart racing, "You brought us here, and separated us just to kill us..."

"Nothing personal kid." Another voice sounded, as Adachi had expected this man wasn't alone. Around him, stepping out from behind the trees, three more wolf men appeared, surrounding him, "But we've got a job to do."

Adachi couldn't say he wasn't scared but... As he stared down the man before him, he felt something else swelling within him. As he thought of his friends, who were no doubt getting attacked across this facility as well. He clenched his fists tightly, _"I am not going to die here... I'm going to become a Hero!"_ He decided, protesting against this seemingly determined fate, "And so do I." He replied to the man behind him, taking a deep breath as he placed his hat back firmly on his head and dropped into his Dragon Stance, "It's a heroes job to clean up trash like you after all!"

One of the men clenched teeth together, growling like a rabid dog, "You brat, I'll teach you to FEAR THE WOLF PACK!" He howled, charging forward from the flank.

 _"They're over confident,"_ He thought, turning swiftly towards the villain rushing his flank. A black furred wolf man, _"He's attacking without caution, he's wide open!"_ Thrusting an open palm upward, he met the mans jaw with enough force to send him reeling back right off his feet, ringing his bell hard.

"Agh! Brother!" One of the others cried as he flew back, "Grr... You little bastard! COME ON BOYS!" All three of them were lunging for him now, but Adachi put what he knew to use as his eyes darted between them.

 _"These guys are targeting All Might, our symbol of peace,"_ His eyes narrowed sharply, turning swiftly towards the man that lunged first, _"If nobody else knows what's happening here, then its our job to protect him!"_ An open palm strike right to the canine snout of the wolf man, he held nothing back in the attack, _"Their movements are... So slow! Are these guys really super villains?"_ He wondered, having no trouble out maneuvering them.

"GAAH!" The man gasped, nose broken from the strike in an instant making his attack falter as he hit the ground clutching his face.

But there were still more attacks to deal with, and Adachi was far from finished. He spun back around, swinging low with one of his legs he swept the feet out from under the remaining attackers causing them to trip before he backpedaled away past the man with a broken nose to gain some distance. As the two uninjured members of the Pack chased him, the other two were rising back to their feet.

"ADACHI DUCK!" His back was turned to the sound of the voice, but he knew exactly who it was. Smirking in excitement he ducked low, as a massive muscular limb lashed out over him. Slamming into the two uninjured Wolf Pack members and sending them flying with its sheer power, "Sorry to interrupt." The boy said as he landed on his feet beside him, "But I'm glad I wasn't sent here alone."

"Nice timing, thanks Ojirou." Adachi smirked, shooting his classmate a sideways glance, "With both of us here, these thugs don't stand a chance."

Ojirou nodded, turning back around to the direction he had come from, "Yeah, unfortunately I didn't come alone."

"GRAAAH! Get back here you little MAGGOT!" The booming voice of a massive man roared through the forest as he emerged from the dense tree line, "Kodiak is gonna RIP YOU APART!" He was big, fat and hairy. His face had the visage of a bear, with a long snout filled with sharp teeth. Coupled with thick fur, and long razor sharp claws the man was truly a beast.

Adachi sweatdropped a little, "Welp, that complicates things..." Watching as the Wolf Pack recovered, glaring daggers at the two boys.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Ojirou replied, standing back to back with Adachi now, "I heard some yelling and came running, hoping to find more of our class, I wasn't expecting more enemies... And now they've got us surrounded."

Adachi didn't like the look of that big guy, and these wolves may be clumsy but they still had fangs and claws that could shred them apart if they weren't careful. Looking between them now, it almost seemed like they were meant to balance each other out. The massive bear man was likely slower, that's why Ojirou was able to get away so easily, but chances were he was much stronger physically than the wolves. He shot Ojirou a sideways glance, and the boy nodded slowly, _"He's picked up on it too... Good."_

"Lets crush these brats!" Kodiac roared, lunging forward at Ojirou with his massive claws.

But the moment he moved forward, Adachi and Ojirou turned on the wolf pack, "COME ON!" Adachi roared, arms lining with scales and claws, as did he feet. The Wolf Pack were taken completely off guard, not expecting the kids to go on the offensive. Adachi struck first, driving an open palm into the stomach of one before spinning and kicking him in the side of the head, sending him crashing into a tree.

Ojirou followed it up quickly, springing off his tail to leap into the air. He landed on Adachi's shoulders, before spinning around and lashing out with the mighty limb, smacking around the other three members of the pack, "These guys are nothing but low life thugs, lets finish this up!" He jumped from Adachi's shoulders, spinning head over heels and slamming down on one of the wolf men with his mighty tail practically crushing him into the ground.

"Two down," Adachi confirmed, before turning to the Kodiak, "Lets GO!" Leaving the Wolf Pack to Ojirou, he charged Kodiak. Mid run, his body began to change as he bulked up in size and grew thicker scales and muscle. He met the beast of a man hand to hand, Kodiak trying to slash at him with his claws but Adachi managed to be faster, grabbing him by both wrists as his reptilian eyes burned into the mans own, _"This guy is strong,"_ He realized, while struggling against him, _"But so am I!"_ He dug in his heels, clenching his teeth beneath his armored muzzle, _"I won't let you villains win!"_

His snarling was growing louder, his arms felt like they were pulsing as his heart raced. And if he hadn't been so focused, he would have noticed them starting to bulk up. As he struggled against the giant, Adachi's own power was being pushed further, closer to that place he never wanted to go again. "Agh! Wh-What the hell!?" The villain gasped, as Adachi suddenly pulled him right off his feet, "Agh! What the hell are you!? Put me down you BRAT!"

"GRAAAAH!" Adachi's muffled roar came through his muzzle, as he managed to turn and throw Kodiak with incredible force. The giant man crashed through several trees, his weight snapping through their trunks like twigs, before he came to a stop and was buried beneath a few of the falling trees.

At the same time, Ojirou was using one of the wolf pack members as a bludgeoning tool. With his tail wrapped around the mans torso, he slammed him hard into the remaining member. Both villains KO'd by the impact, and left in a slump on the ground. The boy took a moment to catch his breath, before approaching Adachi as he shifted back into human form, "Nice work, you alright?"

Adachi nodded, rubbing his sore arms, "Y-Yeah, I'll be fine... Come on, we should head for the gate and see if anyone else is still there." He suggested while catching his breath.

Ojirou followed behind him, "Good idea, but we should try to steer clear of the plaza in the center, where Mr. Aizawa was fighting."

Adachi quirked an eyebrow at that, "But what if he needs help?"

"Look, I wanna take these guys out too but," Ojirou shook his head, "If we were to get in his way or worse get taken hostage... Our priority is to make sure everyone is safe."

Adachi sighed heavily, "I guess you're right, lets get moving." He didn't know why he was worrying so much or even considering trying to fight more villains. For now, he had to focus on helping out those that still needed it and making sure everyone got out of here safely. He wasn't a hero yet, so for now he'd bite his tongue and go along with what Ojirou was saying.


	7. Unleash Your Power Adachi!

They young heroes had earned a small victory, but things were going to get much worse before they got better...

It didn't take long before both Ojirou and Adachi breached the edge of the forest and made their way onto the hard tile surface of the courtyard. Not too far away they could see the fountain where the portal had opened. And scattered all across the area between there and the staircase leading up to the exit were unconscious bodies of the villains their teacher had engaged with.

 _"This is the power of a pro,"_ Adachi thought, slowing down briefly as he took in the sight, _"Mr. Aizawa...I never imagined you were this strong."_

"Hey look, up there!" Ojirou urged, tapping his shoulder and pointing to the top of the stairs, "I see people! I think our classmates are still there!"

Adachi went wide eyed and instantly followed his gaze to the people in the distance, "I think you're right! At least some of them weren't teleported away."

"Come on! Lets go join them!" He said with some relief and excitement as the two students began racing towards the stairs.

 _"I hope everyone else is doing alright too,"_ Adachi thought to himself as he ran, the boys giving the battlefield to their left a wide berth as they curved around it, _"I can't believe we survived... We fought villains, REAL villains! We really can be heroes... This is so-"_ He stopped suddenly, slowing to a halt as his tongue idly picked up on a familiar scent.

"Adachi? What's up why did you stop?" Ojirou asked worriedly as he looked back at him, "Come on we've gotta move!"

"Mr. Aizawa... I-I can smell him." Adachi muttered barely loud enough for Ojirou to hear, his pupils reduced to slits as he felt a mixture of fear and anger, "And... Blood, I can smell his blood... He's in trouble!"

 **. . .**

"13 please hang on!" Ashido cried, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes as she tried to tend to the eviscerated Hero. Done in by her own Quirk, her body was terribly damaged.

"Iida's gonna bring help! You're gonna be fine!" Uraraka assured, equally distraught as she knelt by her favorite hero.

Meanwhile, Satou and Shouji were scanning the area, "I don't see that smokey guy anywhere..." Satou stated, slowly lowering his guard.

"He seemed to run once Iida escaped, maybe the villains will retreat now?" Shouji suggested, turning his attention to the courtyard as he walked past 13 and the girls, "Ngh!" He gasped, tensing up, "Mr. Aizawa..." He muttered, eyes scanning the courtyard unable to find their instructor. From this distance, it was hard to make out the shapes of everyone below and Aizawa wasn't exactly a big guy. But not being able to see him at all put Shouji on edge.

"Hey wait, isn't that Adachi over there too?" Satou pointed out as he spotted a figure crossing the plaza below, "Yep, I'd recognize that big hat anywhere!"

"Adachi?" Ashido gasped, getting up and running towards the top of the stairs, "Is he alright? Do you see Kirishima anywhere?"

"Give me a moment." Shouji replied, forming extra ears and a better nose as he took in the courtyard, "He's uninjured... And Ojirou isn't far behind but... Mr. Aizawa, I can smell him, he's been badly injured... And it sounds like Adachi is heading right for him and those villains!"

Ashdio went wide eyed, "W-We have to do something!"

 **. . .**

"We won't stand a chance if dozens of pros show up," The hand covered man sighed, "It'll be game over, back to the title screen... And I was looking forward to finishing this today, dammit... Let's go home."

Adachi went wide eyed, he was within earshot but didn't think he'd been noticed yet, as he hid behind the edge of the large fountain. _"They're just going to leave? After all of this?"_ He asked himself, narrowing his eyes sharply, _"No, they won't be going yet... Something doesn't feel right, that guy with the blue hair... He's not normal."_ He was beginning to fear the worst, after what they'd done to Aizawa he was positive they might do something just to hurt them more, to send some kind of message, _"I can feel... Something, like... A killer intent..."_

"Oh, before we leave..." Adachi's tensed up as he watched the manic man turn slowly towards the lake, "Let's make sure the symbol of peace is broken..."

 _"M-Midoriya! Asui and Mineta!?"_ He realized, eyes bulging with fear, _"What are they doing there!?"_ He could feel it, that predatory look in the crazy ones eyes. He was going to attack, but what could he do? He hadn't even seen his Quirk yet!

"Let's make this HURT!"

 _"I HAVE TO WARN THEM!"_ Without wasting any more time, he jumped from behind the fountain, "MIDORIYA, ASUI, MINETA RUN!" He all but screamed.

The crazed villain stopped, turning towards him slowly as a twisted smile crossed his face, "Oh my, a volunteer~!" He snickered, suddenly charging him with blinding speed.

 _"He's so fast!"_ Adachi's felt his body freeze as he made eye contact with the villain, the man closing the distance in a split second with his incredible speed. Out of reaction, Adachi raised his hands to stop the attacks and block as the man thrust out both hands to meet grab at him.

"NO ADACHI!" Midoriya screamed, "YOU CAN'T LET HIM TOUCH YOU!"

 _"What?!"_ Adachi tried to pull his hands back, but it was far too late. Shigaraki grabbed a hold of his forearms, instantly the boy understood what a terrible mistake he'd made. His arms began to sting and it only got worse as the seconds went on, he felt a terrible burning itching pain as his forearms began to crumble. Skin, muscle and bone becoming brittle and full of cracks.

"I'll just be taking these!" Shigaraki sneered, pulling hard and snapping away both of Adachi's arms up to the elbow.

His mind went blank with white hot pain coursing through him. Adachi stumbled back, threw his head back and screamed, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Tears brimming at the corners of his eyes. He might have gone into shock if the adrenaline hadn't kicked in as he fell to his knees.

"Look at him writhe, don't worry... I'll end your misery after I pick you apart some more~" Shiragaki said in his shrill, menacing voice as he stood over Adachi, "How about your legs next?"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" The voice of Midoriya cut in, having crossed the distance between them in seconds to save his friend. His fist was cocked back ready to unleash a full power punch, "SMAAAAAASH!"

A thunderous crash sounded, gusts of wind blowing in all directions as the blow made contact. Midoriya panted for breath, looking down at his arm, "I-It didn't hurt me that time..." He muttered, but as the dust cleared, his relief turned to shock, realizing that at some point, the monster Noumu had gotten between him and his target. _"Where did he come from? W-Wait a minute..."_ Midoriya's eyes widened in fear, _"It didn't... Hurt him?"_

"Ohohoho! That was close, you're pretty powerful," Shigaraki said with manic amusement, "Are you one of All Might's disciples? Mm, doesn't matter... I'm done with you now!" Noumu raised his fist high, ready to crush him in a single blow. Just as Shigaraki was reaching out to finish Adachi.

Before the blows could be struck, guardian angels intervened. A tongue wrapping around Midoriya's waste, yanking him back. While Shigaraki was forced to jump back, as Ojirou came crashing down with his tail slamming the earth and broke up the floor between them. Noumu's slam struck the earth, exploding dust and concrete where Midoriya had been.

At the bottom of the stairs, Asui and Mineta had regrouped with Shouji, Satou and Ashido. Mr. Aizawa was with them, Asui had made a move when Midoriya attacked, getting the injured man away from the immediate danger. While Ojirou had managed to grab Adachi off the ground and retreat in the dust cloud. While Asui and Mineta held onto Mr. Aizawa and put him down on the ground carefully, Ojirou did the same with Adachi.

"Adachi... No no no Adachi..." Ashido's eyes were running with tears, as she fell to her knees over him and began to sob at the sorry sight of her friend.

 _"A-Ashido?"_ Adachi thought, his mind clearing, but his body was slowly going numb, _"You shouldn't be here... I-Its too dangerous..."_

"So many pests, good," Shigaraki muttered, eyes burning into the students, "That just means more bodies for All Might to see!"

"Yeah well I'd like to see you try villain!" Satou spat sharply, he and Shouji getting between the villains and their injured friends, "Hang on, Iida managed to escape, help is coming! We just need to hold out a little longer!"

Shigaraki sighed in annoyance, "Noumu, a demonstration please."

"AAGH!"

"GAAAH!"

Both Satou and Shouji were slammed by the monsters fists, the two sent flying and crashing into the stairs. They were injured, but from the sheer speed at which Noumu had moved it almost seemed like he was holding back. Even with both of them KO'd it seemed like the villains were just playing with them!

"And that was just a love tap." Shigaraki snickered, "You are all just playthings to Noumu, he was made to kill All Might! What chance do you have!?"

Adachi was struggling to keep his eyes open, wincing in pain with labored breathing. Looking up at the others, Midoriya and Asui were focused on the enemy, listening to his manic laugh while Mineta cowered. And Ashido was cradling his head, tears streaming down her face, "Adachi, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." She continued sobbing over his missing arms.

This was the first taste any of them had gotten of true villainy and evil. And it was not pretty... It was powerful, and it was ruthless.

 _"If only I was stronger, if I just knew how to control it,"_ Adachi mentally kicked himself, tears in his eyes as well while he tried to keep himself conscious. He felt like he was right on the edge of passing out as pain coursed through his body. The blood loss had his mind clouded, and made it hard to focus. _"Maybe I could be more useful... All I've done is pull more of my friends down with me, I made them jump in to save me... A-And now I-"_

"A... Da... Chi..."

"Mr. Aizawa!" Midoriya gasped, kneeling by his side, "Don't try to talk, you're badly hurt!"

His voice managed to reach the boy, pulling him back from the edge just briefly, _"M-Mr. Aizawa?"_

"D-Don't... Let me... Down... D-Don't hold... Anything back... Unleash... Your... P-Pow-" His words were cut off by a blood filled cough, "I know... I know you're scared but... I-If you're really... As strong as I think you are... You're out only chance of surviving... U-Until the others get here..."

His eyes were fighting to stay open, but as Mr. Aizawa spoke, Adachi felt a dull throbbing inside his head. His own heartbeat thrumming inside of him like a drum. He was right, even if he didn't have complete control. _"Mr. Aizawa... I... I can't just... Sit here... I-I feel something... Slipping!"  
_

"What are you talking about?" Midoriya muttered, sharing the others confusion.

Adachi's eyes suddenly shot open, glowing brightly as scales started forming over his body. Before Ashido could try to stop him, he started leaning forward. His body was shaking, struggling, but despite that and the pain he forced himself up to his feet and staggered forward.

"What are you doing? Adachi please don't move! You've lost too much blood!" Midoriya cried out taking a step closer.

Ashido watched him, her tears slowing as she realized what was happening. She knew what he was planning to do, it sent a chill down her spine, "Adachi..." Her voice quivered, memories of that moment flooded back into her mind. And the tendrils of fear began to wrap and tighten around her heart.

"I think now might be a good time to move... _Ribbit._ " Asui chimed in finally, Midoriya stumbling back as Adachi began to change rapidly. Shigaraki holding his attack with mild interest.

The boy reached his reptilian form in seconds, body warping faster than ever before as he doubled over, leaning with his arm stumps held out, "Grrrraa... Haaaah! HRAAAA!" The noises from within his armored muzzle were guttural, feral. His body began to swell further, spikes beginning to jut from his back, his tail stretching further across the pavement as the earth beneath his feet began to crackle and break at his new weight. The boy was getting bigger, feet growing into heavy gnarled claws while he arched his back writhing in what could be pain.

With a sicken snap, two new arms erupted from his dripping stumps, spraying blood across the floor as the new massive clawed hands emerged. Midoriya, Asui and Ashido flinched in disgust as they watched. A mixture of fear and awe filling their hearts as they watched Adachi evolve further, going beyond what he had ever revealed before.

A jagged spike grew from each elbow, the beast now standing at over ten feet tall. And the when it appeared the transformation was complete, cracks began to appear along the edge of his muzzle. His jaw was trembling, trying to open, trying to release some kind of terrible primal rage.

And finally it shattered like glass! The shards falling to the earth as the Beasts jaws opened wide revealing row upon row of razor sharp teeth, greeting the world with a vicious, monstrous cry.

 **"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"**


	8. Dwindling Hope, Stand Up And Fight!

**Piemaster981: Glad you noticed X3 Gohan snapping is probably one of the best moments in DBZ lol**

* * *

 **"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"** The roar echoed throughout the USJ, all across the various facilities students and villains alike had to stop and hear the cry. **"AAAAAAGH! GRAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"** Like thunder it made the earth rumble around him, the air itself trembling, _"Somethings... Wrong I-I don't feel the same as I did before... M-My body-"_ His thoughts were muddled, as intense physical pain shot through his muscles. Like they were tearing apart and repairing themselves over and over to try and handle the strain of his new body. _  
_

Meanwhile, Ojirou, Midoriya, Asui, Mineta, Uraraka, Sero and Ashido watched from the stairs. At first, they were in awe, but as they watched the beast slam the earth with his massive clawed fists, and tremble while howling like a feral monster... That awe began turning slowly to fear.

A terrible feeling formed in the pit of Asui's stomach, with every cry from him it only grew, "Adachi... H-He sounds like... Like he's in pain."

"This body... He might not be accustomed to using it," Midoriya explained grimly as he watched, "If his Quirk really is some of kind evolving... Growing, or gigantification, his body might not be trained well enough to handle this kind of rapid growth!" There was no doubt in Midoriya's mind, Adachi was in terrible physical pain right now, _"But... At the same time, the villains aren't advancing, could they be worried? Or just curious? I know it hurts Adachi but... You're our only hope of buying more time!"_

"Ashido! A-Are you okay?" Uraraka asked worriedly, moving to her friends side as Ashido dropped to her knees.

Her hands were covering her ears, and she flinched every time the beast screamed, "Please... I-I can't-"

 **"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**

"M-Make it stop! Please Adachi I-I can't take hearing this!" She cried, as tears streamed down her cheeks. Imagining Adachi... This kind, protective friend of hers as that... That thing! She couldn't stand it! That twisted, violent beast before them, she couldn't accept that this is what Adachi really was! She wouldn't accept it! "YOU HAVE TO STOP!"

"Ashido!" Ojirou exclaimed at her cries.

And in that moment, her cries pierced through whatever fog had filled Adachi's mind. His cries died down, and the beast slowly turned to face his classmates. Each and every one of them stiffening under his glowing eyes, _"Ashido... Everyone..."_ He managed to think a little clearly for a moment, he could see their faces and practically smell the fear coming from them. _"Even now... Everyone... They're still-"_

"Well, that was an interesting display," Shigaraki finally spoke, though he had taken a considerable number of steps back since the transformation began, "But, I think we're done here... Maybe we'll take that monster back with us, being a hero is certainly no job for such a terrible creature."

Every terrible feeling he had that day at the river came flooding back in an instant. His labored breathing growing shakier than it already was as he closed his eyes shut tight.

"Noumu, kill the children."

 _"Hngh!?"_ Adachi's eyes shot right back open, hearing the words and catching a flicker of movement, **"GRAAH!"** He lunged forward, just as Noumu attempted to blast past him. He collided with the mutant, his own form much larger than Noumu's so he used his incredible weight to drive him into the nearest wall, _"My body just... Just moved..."_ He realized, growling in anger as his glowing eyes burned into the mindless villain, _"Everyone... Ashido... I'm sorry... I'm sorry if I'm a terrifying monsters... B-But I promise, I won't let this villain hurt you!"_

 **"HRAAAAAH!"** He roared down at Noumu, the students watching in shock as he turned suddenly and threw the villain as hard as he could back towards the center of the courtyard. The mutant rolled across the ground to a halt, righting itself and standing up beside its Master.

"Huh, seems you aren't just a brainless beast after all." Shigaraki noted with mild amusement, "Very well... Get through that thing first, Noumu."

With another deafening roar, Adachi charged towards the villains. Noumu took the charge head on with his immense strength, the students watching as they grappled for dominance trying to overpower one another. Midoriya's eyes were glued to the beast fighting on their behalf, "Adachi... Y-You... Even though you're in so much pain..."

" _Ribbit,_ he's still in there..." Asui added, watching as the fear in her heart was replaced with worry, "He's still in there and... Even though he knows we were scared of him he's..."

"Protecting us." Ojirou finished, feeling terrible for jumping to conclusions when he saw his classmates transformation.

Noumu took the upper hand, getting a hold of Adachi's wrists and turning him over. Slamming him into the ground hard enough to leave a shatter the concrete below them. Before the mutant jumped into the air and crashed down right on top of him. Forming a crater around him and breaking several of Adachi's ribs in the process. The monster lashed out, attempting to drive him off with his powerful tail only for Noumu to grab a hold of it and bend it hard causing the bones to snap.

 **"Hraaagh!"** He snarled in pain, slashing up at him with his massive claws. But Noumu batted away his hands like they were flies, his own terrible strength far outweighing Adachi's. He stomped a foot down on one arm, breaking the bone right at the elbow and forcing it to go limp while holding the other arm at bay with his free hand. With only one arm occupied, Noumu raised his free fist and began slamming it down upon Adachi.

"No!" Midoriya cried, wincing as the earth seemed to shake with each punch. Adachi's own cries of pain, and flailing limbs were getting weaker with every impact, "W-We have to do... Something!"

"If we go over there that monster will tear us apart, _ribbit._ " Asui reminded, having trouble watching as Noumu was slowly beating the life out of Adachi, "B-But Adachi... He'll die if he doesn't get help." She turned her head away as another blow landed, closing her eyes, " _Ribbit..._ "

Ashido felt Uraraka leave her side, she slowly lowered her hands from her ears and looked up at the scene playing out before them. Watching helplessly as Noumu beat the life out of that mon- _"No... Not a monster... Kaiji..."_ She thought, her shaking hands lowering slowly, _"Why... Why can't I move!?"_

"ADACHI!" Midoriya suddenly shouted, taking a few steps forward, "YOU HAVE TO GET UP!" He cried, voice echoing out as tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes, "COME ON!"

 _"M-Midoriya?"_ Adachi could make out his voice, but his head was spinning from each blow delivered by the mutant villain standing over him.

"You've gotta keep fighting!" Ojirou followed Midoriya's lead, "You have to hang on!"

"Adachi! Please don't die!" Asui added, hoping her words would reach him, forcing herself to look. She had to believe he would survive, that he wouldn't die here!

"YOU CAME HERE BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO BE A HERO!" Midoriya kept going, that thrumming in Adachi's head and chest returning, "You can't be a hero if you let some Monster kill you! GET UP!"

 _"I... I have to... Get... Up..."_

As Noumu's fist came down again, Adachi's broken arm moved. The limb snapping back into place as it reached up, catching Noumu by the wrist, "ADACHI!" Sero added to their cries, "You can do it!"

He was rising slowly, arms bulging slightly as they had earlier against Kodiak, his form almost threatening to grow further. "STAND UP!" Midoriya's words ringing in his ears, "FIGHT!"

His tail lashed back up, the broken bones in it crackling as it wrapped around Noumu's other arm that was holding back Adachi's own.

"FIGHT!" Everyone was crying out now, but Ashido was still speechless as she remained frozen in place.

As his tail pulled away Noumu's other arm and restrained him. Adachi rose fully to his feet, using his free hand and grabbing onto Noumu to hold him in place, claws digging into his flesh. Adachi now lumbered over the beast as the spikes along his back began to glow.

"FIGHT ADACHI!"

 _"Everyone!"_ Adachi felt a great heat rising inside of him as the spikes along his back ignited into a blazing bright blue. He pulled his head back, and all in attendance could hear him inhaling deeply, before he looked down at Noumu opened his maw wide, **"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"** And following the deafening roar, came a blazing torrent of blue flames that engulfed the monstrous villain. It lasted for only a few seconds however, as the blazing lights of his back began to flicker and fade away, as did the torrent of flames.

Below him, Noumu's body was burned badly, and remained still.

Adachi glared down at it for a moment, before releasing the creature and staggering back. Blood was running from his mouth, and his throat was in terrible pain. Like the fire itself had scorched him on the way out, another sign of how unaccustomed he was to this body...

But before he could think of what to do next, Adachi's eyes were drawn down to the Noumu as the skin mended itself and the burns healed! At this stage of exhaustion and injury he had no chance of evading, as a mighty fist was thrown upward and slammed Adachi right in the jaw. Teeth and blood were sent flying, as was the beast himself. Before he came crashing down in the middle of the massive staircase, just below Shouji and Satou.

 _"That attack... Did he break my neck? I-I can't feel anything... I can't move..."_ As he rested in his crater along the stairs, silence filled the area finally. Dread setting in once more for the students, and when Adachi didn't move at all they feared the worst.

"Well, that was scarier than it should have been." Shigaraki said in a casual, shrill voice, breaking the silence.

 _"That was too close..."_ Kurogiri thought but didn't dare say it aloud, _"If the boys fire had been too hot and truly incinerated Noumu's cells he wouldn't have been able to regenerate..."_

"Now, if there are no other volunteers... Noumu, finish-"

A sudden explosion from the entrance interrupted the villain, only adding to his annoyance. The students below remained silent as footsteps echoed through the air. And soon enough, by 13 at the top of the stairs, the form of All Might appeared. As the steps drew closer and closer, Adachi was starting to fade out of consciousness as his body reverted back to normal. His eyes were half lidded, and empty. He was battered, bruised and bloody, but even worse his muscles were torn to shreds, ribs shattered and throat scorched from the unstable power.

Asui, Ashido and Uraraka were by his side in seconds, while Ojirou, Midoriya and Sero remained as the last line of defense between them and the villains. And Mineta was off to the side, frozen with fear after what he'd just witnessed. But with All Might slowly moving down the stairs towards them, they knew everything would be alright...

"I couldn't shake the feeling that something had gone wrong when Aizawa and 13 didn't answer my calls..." All Might said aloud, his voice carrying far, "So I hurried over... And ran into young Iida along the way, he told me of the villainy at work here." Walking past the injured forms of Satou, Shouji, Adachi and Aizawa, All Might felt a terrible sense of guilt and anger rising inside of him. Bolstered further by the crying faces of Ashido and Uraraka, _"I can't believe all this happened while I was resting... I hate to think how frightened these children must be, and how hard everyone fought to stay alive."_ He mentally kicked himself, focusing on the villains for now, he would make sure nobody here was hurt anymore, _"All I can do now is reassure them that everything will be okay, that's my job as the symbol of peace."_ He came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, "Have no fear students!" His voice was far more stern and serious than they'd heard it before, as he reached up and ripped off his tie, throwing it aside, "Because **I** am here!"

Despite knowing things would be okay now, Ashido still cried over Adachi along with Uraraka. His broken body was a terrible sight, something none of them ever wanted to see. But this was their first true look at evil, and what it took to keep it at bay...

"Adachi... I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Ashido sobbed openly, realizing what she had done... Or rather, what she hadn't done. Even while he was being pummeled into the ground in their defense, she couldn't get up. She couldn't cry out to him, she couldn't even speak...

All she could do was watch.

"I... I'll do... Better..." The eyes of those around him were drawn to the boy, his words were raspy and shrill, his vocal cords decimated by the flaming breath attack. "S-So nobody... Has to be scared... I-I'll..." As he trailed off, the others fell silent, even All Might appeared shaken for a brief moment.

Shaken with anger, _"Young Adachi... For all that you, and everyone here have given, I WILL stop these villains!"_

 **. . .**

When Adachi opened his eyes again, he saw a white ceiling overhead with bright lights. He could feel something on his face, a breathing mask, as well as a blanket over his lower body. Bandages covered much of his form, and the slow beeping of a nearby heart monitor, as well as the IV in his right arm, told him he was definitely back at UA, likely in the medical ward. Based on the light coming through the windows it was evening, hours must have passed since the incident and the sun was almost completely gone.

 _"He must have done it,"_ Adachi realized, having some trouble remembering all the details, "All... Might..."

The door to his room opened, causing him to try and look towards it but moving his neck sent a sharp pain through his body, "Ah, you're awake, good." It was that kind old lady, Recovery Girl, "I was worried you may have been knocked into a coma, or maybe some kind of hibernation while your body recovered... Never too sure with you regenerative types."

Adachi didn't bother trying to move, knowing better now, "I-Is everyone else okay?" He asked, even with effort his words were quiet and strained.

"Only a few of your classmates were seriously injured," Recovery Girl explained, "And compared to you, none were that bad... Aside from Aizawa... Mezou Shouji had all six arms broken, but I managed to get those patched up pretty well, Rikido Satou is still in need of some rest and recovery after his arm bones were shattered," She went on, looking over a clipboard nearby, "And Midoriya's no worse than usual, messed up his legs... Reckless boy."

"But... Everyone's ali-"

"And you!" She jabbed a finger at him, "You are in big trouble, the Principal is going to have a word with you, lying about your Quirk," Recovery Girl scoffed, shaking her head, "That reckless transformation-"

She was interrupted as the door burst open, "Out of my way I was his best friend first!" Kirishima barked, storming into the room and stopping only when Recovery Girl got in the way. The figures of Shouji, Satou, Asui, and Ashido followed behind him, quickly filling the room. None of them were in their costumes anymore, having changed back to normal clothes. But Shouji and Satou had bandages all over their arms, castes as well to keep them stable.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Recovery Girl demanded, "Who said you could come in here?"

"Uh... You did, Ma'am," Satou answered bluntly, "Your exact words were to wait until he woke up."

"Aaaand he looks pretty awake to me!" Kirishima grinned, crossing his arms.

"Ugh, you children are too much." Recovery Girl sighed shaking her head, "Fine fine, at least let me finish discussing the damage before you pounce on him."

"Yes Ma'am!" They gave a simultaneous, exaggerated salute.

She rolled her eyes, turning focus back to the injured boy, "Anyways... As I was saying, your body was not at all ready for that transformation. The physical strain alone shredded most of your muscles, and that isn't even counting your _actual_ wounds." She flipped over the page, shaking her head, "Broken ribs, burns in your throat with heavily damaged vocal cords, fractured jaw, and a fractured neck! Not to mention the damage to your organs from working that giant body... You're lucky changing like that also seemed to kick your regenerative abilities into high gear or else..." She bit her tongue to keep from going further, deciding the boy had been through enough already, "Anyways, you'll need to stay here tonight, maybe another day or two as well, in the morning we will asses your health and decide." Recovery Girl stepped back from the table, setting her clipboard aside and sighing, "Alright, he's all yours, just be careful and don't pester him too much."

After the warning, she left the room. Adachi looked at his friends, their original enthusiasm having burned out a bit after hearing the diagnosis. The tension was growing a little thick, getting uncomfortable.

 _"They didn't come here to feel bad for me... I have to say... Something!"_

"So..." Adachi broke the silence, his eyes drifting between the visitors, "H-How is everyone else doing today?"

"Just fine, thanks to you I hear," Kirishima chuckled after releasing a relieved sigh, walking around to the window, "You've really been holding out Adachi, I thought that form was tough but you blew my expectations out of the water!"

"Yeah you shocked everyone with that crazy power!" Satou added, he rose one of his arms like he would have fist pumped but his casts prevented it, "So strong!"

"I may have been injured," Shouji added, "But I saw enough, that was crazy..."

"Are you feeling okay, _ribbit?_ " Asui asked concerned, poking her head past the two larger boys taking up most of the space.

Adachi smiled faintly, about all he could manage in his current state, "Y-Yeah... I think I'll be okay... I'm sorry I scared everyone, i-it took everything I had to keep myself focused on that... Thing, I could have just as easily hurt all of you too."

"But you didn't," He blinked, eyes turning to Ashido as she stood at the foot of his hospital bed, smiling sadly, "You saved us, you kept us alive until All Might showed up."

 _"But I didn't do it alone..."_ He thought, remembering everyone's words, how they spurred him on. Like hearing those voices crying out to him lit a fire inside of him to keep going.

"You're a real Hero man," Kirishima smirked, hands on his hips, "Looks like I've got some catching up to do!"

"I watched your arms come off, that was pretty hardcore." Satou bluntly reminded.

Earning a pained laugh from Adachi with his wording, "Can we maybe not talk about that, I'd like to try and forget that I'm walking around with a set of new arms."

"Excuse me? Oh hey," All eyes turned to the door where Midoriya was sticking his head in, "Hi everyone, sorry I didn't realize you were all still here..."

"Hey Midoriya, how are you legs doing?" Shouji asked curiously, he and Satou making some room around the bed.

"I'm doing much better thanks to Recovery Girl," He nodded, a few bandages still on his left hand. "I was actually hoping to talk to Adachi, something I noticed about his transformation that's been bugging me."

Adachi quirked an eyebrow, "Oh, yeah sure Midoriya, whatever you want to know... I'm done hiding it."

"Hey, you don't owe me anything, I was just curious as to where you get your powers from?" He asked as he entered fully, moving to a seat by the bed and giving his sore legs a rest, "I know your Quirk comes from your parents, and over all you have Aspects from both your parents don't you?"

"You've got an impressive eye." He chuckled a bit, before coughing roughly.

"Don't strain yourself." Ashido pouted, moving to his side and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I-I'm fine," Adachi assured, clearing his throat before he continued, "My Dad was a hero, not super famous but you might have heard of him, his name was Colossus."

"Oh I've heard of him!" Midoriya's face lit up, "Yeah he wasn't on TV much, but he's done a lot of good work, though I remember reading he suddenly retired Sixteen years ago without a word... His Quirk was bodily augmentation, super strength and gigantification... Also there were rumors about regenerative abilities... While I was recovering, I tried to put some faces to heroes that you might take after, he was definitely in the top five... But I really can't think of any hero that your mother might be that matches you at all."

"That's a little creepy..." Asui noted, as the others sweatdropped a bit.

"Heh, you really know your stuff... Anyways, the early retirement would be my fault," Adachi chuckled nervously, his amusement slowly dying out, "You see, my Mom was... Less good than my Dad, ironically, she was my Dad's arch nemesis."

"YOUR MOM WAS THE JADE DRAGON!?" Everyone covered their ears as Midoriya exploded.

"Whoa, Adachi you never told us that your mom was a villain, what gives?" Kirishima questioned, crossing his arms.

He would have shrugged if he could, "Well, Dad doesn't like talking about Mom's past... I respected his wishes, I'm not ashamed of my heritage or anything," He added quickly, "After so many years of fighting, something sparked between my mother and father, and he tried to reform her... She was never really evil, more mischievous, abrasive and jaded... It went pretty well, but she was kept in prison for some of her more outstanding crimes, until allowed out on parole after a few years on good behavior." He went on explaining, "During that time, she and my Father got together and had me by accident... Unfortunately, something happened after I was born, it was like my Mom... Freaked out," He hesitated for a brief moment, "She went a little crazy, tried to take me and run away, I think she was afraid we'd be separated because she was a villain."

"I'm... So sorry to hear that," Ashido frowned, "But... What happened?"

"My Dad chased her down, he told me about it once, said he wasn't trying to capture her just trying to make her see reason," Adachi explained, "During the confrontation, he tried to protect her when another Hero showed up trying to steal the glory, the Hero Endeavor... My Father ended up getting hurt, a back injury that later left him paralyzed... And my Mother surrendered once he was hurt."

"Is she... Still around?" Satou asked curiously, breaking the silence that followed.

"She's alive, if that's what you mean," Adachi answered simply, "But she's being held up north in a large prison in Tagua, we go a couple times a year to visit."

"Oooh so that's the weekend trips every summer," Kirishima chuckled nervously, "I'm surprised you never mentioned this, or that we never found out..."

"My dad isn't exactly social anymore, and we like to keep the fact we visit a notorious former villain to ourselves," Adachi rolled his eyes, "The only people that really know are other Heroes, mostly just the older ones... Uh, anyways, that's my story," He finished rather nervously, "Sorry, that got a little heavier than I meant it to, I don't mean it to sound sad its way in the past now," He assured everyone, "But well, now you know where my powers come from, my dad could change size and regenerate, and my mom could turn into a dragon and breathe fire and stuff... Evidently it was a pretty potent mixture."

"Sounds like your Dad had freaky tastes." Kirishima joked, trying to help lighten the mood.

Adachi's face turned beet red, and Ashido spun around in an instant, slugging Kirishima in the arm, "Did you SERIOUSLY just make that joke!?"

"Ow ow okay I'm sorry!"

Adachi watched her barking at him, his eyes slowly swaying across the others as they chuckled. Chatting among each other as attention turned away from him. He felt a strange sensation creeping up inside of him. Without warning, he started laughing a little. It hurt a lot less now, and it slowly got louder. His laughter rising as everyone looked at him surprise.

"I'm sorry," He managed to say between his laughs, a few tears running from the corners of his eyes, "I-I'm just Haha So glad hahaha th-that everyone's okay!" Their concern melted away, turning to smiles as his laughter filled the room.

It had been a long, harsh day. And the fact that in the end, after all the pain and fighting, everyone could still smile like everything was fine made Adachi happy. He wasn't afraid of his power anymore, he wanted to get stronger and tame it. Make that power an unbreakable shield, so the next time a monster like Noumu showed up, he could protect his friends, and nobody would have to be scared anymore...


	9. Training Time! Festival On The Horizon!

**Raidentensho: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're liking it more this time around. As for his Quirk, yeah this time around I am much more confident what I want to do with it, so for the most part he will have a human form, hybrid form, and beast form. As time goes on, he will be able to steadily "Enhance" These powers, but not in terribly different ways. Like imagine that as he transforms he is just getting further and further along as a kind of... Evolution. There is obviously a capping point, but that might not come along until he is a real giant firebreathing lizard lol His quirk was initially based off of Kaiju/Godzilla after all XD**

 **As for the power creep, it'll be steady. There is no infinite climb for sure, but as I've seen in the Manga, UA really gets into the motions of specifically developing their Quirks and strengthening them.**

 **To be honest I don't know anything about Shaman King or Dodando, but the dragon stance is a part of Shaolin fighting style and that is basically what I was going for. Considering I've given Adachi a affinity/interest in that culture to flesh him out more as a person he'll definitely be aiming for that style in some way as time goes on.**

 **UPDATE NOTICE FOR OLD READERS: If you're a newcomer to the story and didn't read the old version this likely won't apply to you. As for old readers I have some important development updates I am dropping here before the weekend hits. For one, the Tagua Arc has been scrapped, rereading it now after seeing the show and Manga just really kills what I liked about it in the first place. Of course there is still a small surprise waiting for him there, as well as a little foreshadowing for the old readers...**

 **Second! The Sports Festival is getting a bit of an overhaul! A shake up of some of the tourney, a new challenger approaching, and HEY GUESS WHAT I'VE WRITTEN THE CAVALRY BATTLE THIS TIME BABYYYY! So look forward to that in the coming chapters, the more I read over the old stuff the more I'm deciding what I did and didn't like, so there is gonna be a lot of changes coming up, with some chapters being entirely new. Which brings me to my last notice...**

 **STARTING NEXT WEEK THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATING FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY! To keep up with irl things, and writing entirely new chapters, I've got to make some cuts to the schedule. So starting not today but NEXT Friday, updates will be over the weekend, sorry :(**

* * *

It had been three days since Adachi's admittance to the UA Medical Ward, three days since the villain attack on the USJ. Every day Recovery Girl gave him intense treatment, healing him up as best she could but also draining his stamina severely. But on the morning of the third day, she was removing the last of his medical braces and allowing him freedom of movement from the confines of his bed.

"Alright, you're good to go." Recovery Girl said, stepping back from the bed, "Keep the bandages on for today, just to be safe, your natural regeneration should do the rest but you'll likely be sore for a while, and don't stress your muscles too much... Just because they aren't torn anymore doesn't meant they're back to one hundred percent." She explained with a smile, "Also, before you go running back to class..."

The door slid open, Adachi gasped as the tiny form of the Principal stood there, carrying a few papers, "Oh my look who's up and about!" He greeted with a bright, yet formal smile as he stepped in, the door closing behind him, "Good to see our students finally healthy enough to get out of bed, we've all been quite worried, yes Mr. Adachi worried indeed!"

"Uh... Th-Thank you sir." He bowed his head respectfully, wincing slightly.

"Now you just take it easy for today," He ordered, hopping up onto the bedside beside Adachi, sitting on the edge. "I'm simply here because there is the matter of your potential expulsion that must be dealt with!"

"Expulsion!?" He exclaimed, eyes wide in shock.

"Why yes of course!" Principal Nezu smiled at him, setting the papers aside, "You see normally when a student comes here they must fill out a form just as you did, similar to the standard Quirk registry helping us plan ahead for molding and developing your Quirk" He explained, "And unfortunately you lied on yours leading us to believe your Quirk was far less than it was in terms of power and of course the added danger of its instability, and that is a Security Breach, young man." He wagged a finger at Adachi, who's face was sinking more by the minute, "As you saw at the USJ, Security Breaches are very, very, Bad."

"I'm sorry Principal Nezu," He sighed heavily, "I didn't mean to keep it a secret, I... I really never intended to use that power at all if I could help it."

"Now why would you go saying something silly like that?" He asked, standing up on the bed and staring at him, hands on his sides, "What you were capable of doing with that power was amazing, if not for your sacrifice many of the students could have been killed before All Might arrived, that is my understanding of the situation, what you did was absolutely astonishing!" He laughed.

Adachi sweatdropped, "Uh... I'm sorry sir, I'm getting some mixed signals here... Am I being expelled or not?"

"Here!" Nezu handed him one of the papers, "I am well aware there was no malicious intent behind your secret, and after what you did at the USJ it would be, oh my, quite _criminal,_ to expel you! Don't you think?" He burst into light laughter at his own pun.

"R-Right, haha..." Adachi didn't want to push it, so he forced a nervous laugh, "So what is this? A registration form?"

"Yes that is correct," He nodded, "A new Quirk Registry, please fill it out to the best of your knowledge, you may fill out a new one if you discover more about this power... But please do refrain from deceiving us again Hmm?"

"Y-Yes sir of course!" He nodded, quickly getting to work on the form.

"Once you finish up swing by your class and say hello! Everyone is still worried I'm sure, and Mr. Aizawa needs to explain the Sports Festival to you!" The Principal added, waiting patiently for him to finish.

"Wait, Sports Festival?" He blinked, realizing he must have missed quite a bit in the last few days, "Uh... Why don't you explain that while I fill this out? Just in case I miss him?"

"Oh it would be my pleasure! Recovery Girl why don't you bring us some tea?"

 **. . .**

 _"I thought I would never escape that rodent..."_ Adachi internally sighed, taking it nice and easy as he made his way towards Class 1-A. His body was still mostly covered in bandages aside from his face, "Hmm, so two weeks..." He muttered, remembering what the Principal had told him, "It should only take another day or two to get back to one hundred percent... After that, I need to decide how to divide up my training, to best use the time I've..." He trailed off, looking up slowly as he saw the large crowd of people around the doorway to Class 1-A, all students.

 _"Did I miss something?"_

"Adachi?" He blinked, turning towards the familiar deep voice, "Kaiji Adachi, you look like shit."

"Shinso!" Adachi smiled brightly at him, that purple haired boy he'd met during the Practical Exam, "Hey, I'm glad to see you here, with all the craziness that followed the exam I never got to find out if you made it in, you must be in class 1-B right?"

His polite smile turned to a bit a scowl, "Uh, no actually, I'm in the general classes..."

"Oh I-I," Adachi flinched, looking away nervously, "Sorry, I had no idea..."

"Forget about it," Shinso sighed waving him off, "So what happened to you?"

"Long story," It was Adachi's turn to sigh, scratching the back of his head, "Short version is I'm in class 1-A."

"Oooh so you were in that mess at the USJ," Shinso realized, looking him over once more, "I guess that explains why you look like you lost a fight with a freight train."

"Ugh, I wish... I don't think a freight train hits as hard as Noumu..."

"Noumu?"

"Longer story..."

 **. . .**

After the crowd of students left their classroom following Bakugou's scolding, Adachi was finally greeted by many of his relieved classmates.

"I'm so glad you're feeling better." Ashido beamed, hands behind her back, "I copied some notes in class so you wouldn't fall behind!"

"They were my notes, _ribbit."_ Asui reminded, giving Adachi a smile, "It's good to see you up and moving around again Adachi."

"Thank you, both of you," Adachi blushed nervously in response, feeling a little strange with this kind of attention, "I really appreciate it."

"Hey we all owe you," Ojirou commented, crossing his arms, "You saved our butts, I don't mean to dwell on it but... Well, you kept us alive Adachi."

" _Ribbit,_ he's right you know," Asui nodded in agreement, "Just... Don't go hurting yourself like that anymore please."

"About that..." Adachi looked between his surrounding friends, "I was actually wondering what everyone's plans were for training before the festival, Principal Nezu filled me in before I was released this morning... I've got a lot of work to do to get better, so I was thinking maybe some of us could train together?" He suggested semi-reluctantly, still self conscious about his new level of power, worried they might still be afraid of him.

Kirishima scratched the back of his head in thought, "Well, at the moment I think my biggest weakness is the ability to harden my entire body... I still have some trouble doing that, so I think I'll be working on resilience."

"Mobility and aiming is my goal." Ashido chimed in with a shrug, "Uraraka and I were gonna try to combo our abilities to make training a little easier."

"Hmm, not sure I can help with either of those..." Adachi muttered, crossing his arms and thinking about what exactly he wanted to improve upon.

"I'm sure you've got ideas regarding what you want to train don't you?" Ojirou questioned curiously.

" _Ribbit,_ maybe not with being tied up in the nurses office under treatment." Asui reminded him.

"Yeah, I only found out about the festival this morning," He shrugged, "With everything that's been happening I completely forgot it was that time of year..." The boy took a few more seconds to think about it before nodding, "I need to strengthen this body," He explained, pulling his arms away from one another and looking down at his hands, "My fighting stance could use some work, but overall I need to put more effort into physically strengthening myself, that way it doesn't put such a huge strain on me when I push my transformation."

"Haven't you tried putting on muscle before?" Ashido asked, taking a seat on a nearby desk top, "Doesn't really work, if I remember correctly."

"Well, I've never really had a training facility like UA," Adachi retorted, "Push ups and sit ups hardly compare to state of the art equipment, so I'll probably try my luck there."

"That's all well and good," Kirishima chimed in, "But do you really think you can bulk up in two weeks? Muscles need more time to rest and repair between workouts."

Adachi smirked at that, "Not when I can regenerate them." He reminded, wagging a finger, "Of course, I don't mean to say I'm gonna get totally jacked in two weeks, but if I divide my free time between practicing my martial arts and training at the school gym I'll at least have some improvement before the festival."

"A sound plan," Ojirou nodded, "And speaking of martial arts, I've been meaning to ask if you'd like a training partner." He offered with a smile, "We fought together pretty well in the USJ, we both use Martial Arts so sparring together could be beneficial."

Adachi blinked in surprise, "Really? Sure, I mean... I had to practice what I know now by myself, so it'll be interesting having an actual training partner."

And just like Adachi had his next two weeks planned out.

Between school work, he spent all his free time either training with Ojirou or using UA's advanced gym facilities to strengthen his body. At the same time, everyone else in Class 1-A was making the most of the time they had as well. Because they all knew that with the sports festival came opportunity to stand out and show the world what they were made of. High expectations were already floating around with the recent villain attack bolstering the peoples confidence in them and none of them wanted to disappoint.

 **. . .**

Adachi was gasping for breath as he rested against the edge of the water. Resurfacing only moments ago after finishing another set of laps in the Olympic sized swimming pool. Nearing the end of his training time again, his body was aching after more of his rigorous training regime. But even though it pained him, he was seeing minor results. His bodies ability to regenerate his damaged muscles was making progress faster than he'd expected. Though, it also demanded eating a huge amount of food, something he found out recently was tied to his regeneration.

"You're still going?" Came the voice of his "training partner", " _Ribbit,_ you aren't finished yet?"

Adachi waved her off, pulling himself out of the water with some groans of discomfort, "Nah, I just finished my last set," He assured, steadying his legs on dry land as the water ran down his body, "Only a few days before the Festival, gotta get in as much training as I can." He chuckled lightly, heading for the nearby towel rack to start drying off.

Asui herself had already finished her sets for the day and had just returned from changing out of her swimsuit, " _Ribbit,_ you're really committed to doing better, I think its paying off."

"Ha, thanks," Adachi laughed bashfully, rubbing the back of his head, "Physically I've toughed up only a little bit, I think... But I've really tightened up my combat skills thanks to Ojirou." He kept drying himself with the towel, before turning to the locker room nearby, "Anyways, I'm gonna head out, I'll see you same time tomorrow? If nothing comes up."

Asui nodded in agreement with smile, "Of course."

 **. . .**

After getting dressed in the locker room, Adachi made his way towards the train station ready to head back home. Though he was sure Kirishima and Ashido had already left, he was surprised to see his pink friend waiting for him on one of the benches.

"Hey, what are you still doing here?" Adachi asked as he approached.

"Just waiting for my favorite lizard," She shrugged, "You've been blowing so much money on feeding yourself to recuperate from training, I figured I could buy you dinner for once." Ashido joked lightly.

Adachi blushed a bit, "Heh, thanks, my wallet would appreciate that..."

The train pulled up seconds later, both students stepping on the bullet train and taking their seats before it took off heading for home. The two sat in relative silence for a few minutes, but Adachi had an itching suspicion that she wasn't just waiting for him so she could buy food. Sure enough, after nearly twenty minutes of silence, she released a breath he could have swore she was holding the entire time.

"Can I...Talk to you about something?"

"Of course." Adachi nodded with a smile, perhaps too eagerly, "What do you need?"

Ashido's grip on her knees seemed to tighten, "I just... I'm sorry." She said suddenly, "I've been thinking a lot about what happened at the USJ, and I've been kicking myself for what I did, or I guess... What I didn't do."

"Oh... Right," Adachi was caught off guard by her question, eyes drifting away from her as he thought about it, _"Yeah... I guess when everyone else was cheering me on she just kind of... Sat there,"_ He remembered vaguely, "Hey, its fine! You were just scared, its not like I was expecting people to start cheering for me..."

Ashido pouted, "I was more scared of you than the situation itself," She admitted, "And that was stupid, I was being stupid!"

"I guess we've both made some mistakes recently." Adachi sighed lightly, shaking his head, before looking to her worriedly, "Are you okay? OW!" He yelped as she punched him in the arm, "What was that for?!"

She crossed her arms, "I didn't wait around after school so you could feel sorry for me, I'm here to make sure YOU are okay!" Ashido declared, "Stop worrying about everyone else for a second, I want to know that you're doing alright after what happened at the USJ... So, are you?"

"You certainly have a strange way of showing you care," Adachi replied, rubbing his arm before he chuckled, "But thanks... It was really scary, and I felt scared when I was all tied up in the hospital... But I'm doing alright," He assured with a smile, "It could have been worse, and I took the brunt of it so everyone else didn't have to, so I feel alright about it."

Ashido finally smiled at him again, "Good... I don't want to see you like that again, and next time I don't want to stand by and watch you fight I want to fight beside you." She added, snaking an arm around his thin frame suddenly and squeezing him tightly as she attempted to crush him, "Got it? Next time I'll protect you!"

Adachi chuckled lightly at that, blushing nervously at their close proximity, but he was also having trouble breathing as she squeezed him "R-Right!..."

 **. . .**

After getting off the train and stopping somewhere to eat, Adachi made his way home with her. Parting ways as they neared their destinations, promising to see one another tomorrow. As it stood now, they only had a few days until the Sports Festival, and Adachi didn't want to risk hurting his body before it began so he intended on taking it easy. Maybe relaxing his mind would give him some good benefits as well?

He opened the door to his home, "I'm back!" He called out, announcing his presence as he slid off his shoes and set them aside. There was no response, earning a confused look from the boy. Deciding his father was probably in his study, Adachi walked into the kitchen. Stopping as he saw the man staring at a letter at the kitchen table, "Uh... Dad?"

"Hmm?" He blinked, before his eyes widened and he turned looking at him, sliding the letter aside, "O-Oh hello Kaiji, how was your day?"

Adachi quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head, "Fine... What have you got there?" He asked, pointing to the letter that had left his father in a stupor.

"Oh this? R-Right I just..." He trailed off for a moment, before sighing heavily, "It's from your Mother."

Kaiji blinked in surprise, "Mom sent us a letter? That's new... What did it say?"

Kento took a deep breath before answering, "She wants to see you, before the Festival."

"She... Wait, what!?" Kaiji exclaimed, "But... The festival is in two days! Why does she want to see me now? She's never asked for anything like this before..."

Kento nodded in response, "No, she hasn't... And she said specifically she wants to talk to you." He added, "Maybe she's just worried after that whole mess at the USJ, and you ending up in the hospital for a few days... But whether or not you choose to go is up to you."

Kaiji stared at the letter, mulling it over in his head, "I guess... If I leave in the morning, take the bullet train, it shouldn't be too long of a trip." He decided, "I'm sure she just wants to make sure I'm okay, right?"

"R-Right, of course." Kento nodded, smiling faintly.

"Alright, I'm gonna shower and get ready for bed," Kaiji smiled back, "I'll see you in the morning before I go."

Kento nodded as he walked off, _"At least... I hope that's all this is about."_


	10. The Jade Dragon, A Family Completed

**Sorry for the delay! I meant to upload this before I went to work but ended up waking up late. Anyways here we go!  
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The trip was peaceful, taking a train ride across a big chunk of the country. Passing by cities, seeing different people and Quirks as he went. Though he was somewhat nervous, a few people recognized him from when they reported on the injured students from the USJ incident. And this was his first time out of town by himself, his first trip without his father.

 _"I wonder what she wants to talk about,"_ Adachi thought to himself as he stepped off the train. _"The more I think about it, the more I think this isn't just a check up... I mean, I haven't spoken to her since I made it into UA, so maybe that has something to do with it?"_

Despite his suspicions, he kept walking. Making his way through the city, not paying too much attention to the world around him as he thought more about the upcoming sports festival. People around him were chattering up a storm, and police were patrolling the streets more so than usual but he paid it no mind. It wasn't until his phone began buzzing in his pocket that he was brought back to reality. He saw it was his father and quickly answered it, "Hey, what's up?"

"Kaiji! Are you alright?" A frantic voice asked quickly.

"Uh... Yeah, why what's going on?" Kaiji could hear the concern in his voice, and stopped at the next intersection.

"Thank goodness... News reports have been going all morning about villains all over that district!" He exclaimed, "The normal trains are stopped for now, so you can't come back yet unless you catch the bullet train later, but maybe you should just stay put until this blows over?"

"Villains..." Adachi muttered, looking around at any nearby screens displaying current urgent events, "I uh... Yeah, yeah I'll home as soon as I go see Mom."

"Kaiji, I really think you shouldn't be out tod-"

"Sorry Dad, I didn't come this far for nothing!" He interrupted, hanging up quickly. Instantly dreading the decision, "I am so grounded when I get back..."

The moment the light changed, he made his way across the street and kept heading for the Prison. Adachi paid close attention to what people were talking about on the way, even checking some of the reports on his phone as he went. According to the news, the crime wave was widespread. Police were spread thin at the moment, and Heroes were working all over the city. Luckily the events were pretty spread out, so his path to reach the prison was clear and safe, so long as no new events sprung up.

The nature of the crimes was perplexing, large groups of thugs that seemed to have no real attachment to one another. They weren't gangs, and the crimes were so random. Hostage situations, robberies, shootouts with police, a few even claiming to have filled a building with bombs. Each of these crimes were putting innocent people in danger, forcing heroes to hesitate for fear of hurting civilians...

It was so strange, almost coordinated...

 _"Whatever, I'm sure the Pros have already figured that out,"_ He sighed, approaching the gates to the prison near the city center, "Hi uh... I'm here for a visit?" He asked, greeting the guard stationed beside the gate.

"ID please." He said lazily, taking the boys card and running it through the machine, "Oh," His interest perked a bit, "You're from UA right? Class 1-A?"

 _"Great..."_ He mentally sighed before nodding, keeping a polite smile, "I am yes, Kaiji Adachi." He said, tucking the ID card away as it was handed back.

"Nice work on beating those villains at the USJ," He said with grin, shaking Adachi's hand, "You're here for Jade right? Yeah I'll have them bring her to the meeting area, go on in." He offered, the massive steel doors sliding apart.

"Thanks, you guys must be busy today with all the crimes." Adachi noted, wondering if he could coax any information out of the man.

"I mean, yeah we've got people coming in like crazy... What kind of idiots commit crimes in a city centered around a giant prison?" He scoffed, shaking his head, "Not the smartest criminals, it does kinda stink though... We've had an impressively low crime rate, usually all our prisoners come from out of town, but oh well... I heard All Might could be on his way to resolve them quick, I'd love to meet him but you probably get to see him all the time at that school." He chuckled.

"Yeah, he's kind of a goofball honestly." The boy chuckled, "A really righteous, amazing goofball." With that, Adachi made his way inside the facility.

The prison was built to hold powerful villains, walls a hundred foot high around the giant pentagon shaped building. Cells of all kinds were found within, divided into sections for specific criminal types. Five sections for the major Quirk types, with the main office, cafeteria and Wardens tower in the center overlooking it all.

Adachi had met the Warden once before on a visit. An intimidating older man, he had an Erasure Quirk similar to Mr. Aizawa but it worked somewhat differently. His power was activated through touch, not sight, and lasted for a set amount of time. It was great for keeping down any rowdy prisoners without much effort. The old man was rough, but nice to him as far as he remembered.

As he walked the inner halls, nearing the center he noticed not many guards in the area. There was a line that he passed by with a row of restrained thugs, surrounded by police.

"Car chase down fifth ave, come on they need men to help set up the blockade!" Someone shouted, rushing out the door with several officers behind him.

 _"This is chaotic..."_ Adachi noted, reaching the desk to the visitors area, "Hi, I'm here to see Shisui Adachi." He explained to the lady behind the counter.

"Hmm? Oh you must be her little boy," She smiled, "Go on in, she's already waiting for you." She assured, hitting a button to unlock the doors.

Adachi smiled and nodded, heading through the doors. He had to descend some stairs, a few guards idly hanging around overhead for safety. The main room below had a few large tables with plenty of chairs for visitors to meet prisoners. As Adachi reached the bottom, his eyes lit up as they locked on his Mother.

She was a beautiful older woman with sharp features, she had been taking care of herself well in this prison. Her skin was somewhat pale but she had toned muscles, and beautiful long jade green hair bound into a pony-tail. She was wearing the simple orange jumpsuit the Prison offered with her sleeves rolled up and the front unzipped showing her white shirt underneath. Her own bright green eyes locked onto him as he approached, "Kaiji! I'm glad you were able to make it safely." She greeted warmly, standing up from her seat, "Was afraid you'd chicken out!"

As he stepped forward, she pulled him into a tight embrace. The two shared the hug for a moment, "Its great to see you, I've got so much I couldn't explain in a letter." His voice muffled a bit against her shoulder.

"I wanna hear everything," She replied, releasing him, "It'll be a welcome distraction to all the chaos here today... But first."

 ***BAM***

"Hey!" The guards began shouting as she punched Adachi on top of the head.

"It's tough love!" She shouted back at them harshly, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at Kaiji, the boy whimpering and holding his head where she'd punched him, "What were you thinking hiding your Quirk like that?! You're lucky you weren't expelled!"

"Tsss, geez that smarts!" Adachi grumbled, already feeling a bump, looking back at her and laughing nervously, "S-Sorry, I know I messed up... I was being stupid and was afraid of what others might think if they saw me... Like that."

"Tch, damn, what has that Father or yours been teaching you?" She sighed shaking her head, "I knew I should have gotten training time in once your quirk manifested..." Shisui grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to hold eye contact with her, "You listen to me Kaiji! Don't you DARE hide who you are! Be proud of what you are capable of! Got it!?" She demanded, voice loud and abrasive as ever, "Because you're my son, and you are awesome! And if anyone has got a problem with you I'll kick their teeth in!"

Adachi sweatdropped, her wording was as terribly blunt as ever. But he knew this was how she showed she cared, "Thanks mom, but that'll be kinda hard to do locked up in here won't it?" He joked.

"Hmm, yeah we'll get to that later... Now sit! Lets talk about that fight you had in the USJ." She smirked, walking around to her side of the table and sitting with her arms crossed, "And how exactly you left it, in what was basically a full body caste."

Kaiji felt his smile returning, taking a seat at the table, "It was pretty rough, most of the criminals there were just low level thugs! But there were a few scary ones, one was called Shigaraki I think, he could turn things to dust just by toughing them!" He exclaimed, "He disintegrated both my arms!" He noted her rather surprised expression, and changed his tune a little, "Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself... So there we were, just arriving to do some rescue training with the hero 13!"

Shisui listened with rapt attention, as Kaiji went on explaining his battles with the Wolf Pack, and Kodiak alongside Ojirou. She seemed impressed by his ability to overpower the bear man. When he got to the part in the courtyard, where things got more serious she remained calm as he explained. Shisui was carefully watching his expression, noting changes to see if he had been at all traumatized by the event. Pleasantry surprised by how upbeat he seemed, the kid had a knack for crime fighting and his desire to beat bad guys was only emboldened by the USJ attack.

Neither of them seemed to notice the guards listening with interest over head.

"None of us were a match for Noumu, that big monster flattened two of my friends in seconds, they were lucky to still be alive." He explained, eyes burning with intensity, "But thanks to Mr. Aizawa, I just... Let go, and unleashed everything my body could handle... I managed to hold off Noumu long enough for All Might to arrive, but I passed out before I could see anything, though I guess he cleaned up after that." He chuckled nervously, "I missed one heck of a fight though."

"What, no crazy details about your fight with the monster?" She asked, smirking as she crossed her arms, "That certainly seems to be the moment you're most proud of."

"Heheh," He bashfully blushed, "To be honest, I wasn't much of a match for him, with no experience using that form I was basically just a punching bag..." He explained with another nervous laugh, "He beat me into the ground without much trouble, but I did learn that I can breathe fire, so that was cool."

"You breathed fire?" She blinked in surprise, putting on a big grin, "Well would you look at that!" She reached across the table and grabbed his hand firmly, "My little man's taking right after his mother!"

Kaiji blushed with embarrassment, "Th-Thanks Mom..."

"Ha! No, thank you! Kaiji," Shisui replied, pulling back her hand as she smiled at him, "I was really worried about what might happen to you at UA, because of me being your Mother I was honestly worried the Pros might be biased against you..." She admitted with a shrug, "But your teachers seem nice, and you're growing into a fine young man."

His chest swelled with pride, "You really think so?"

"Of course, I couldn't be more proud of you," She replied with a nod. Before her regular, mischievous smirk returned, "So, Ashido and Asui eh? Sounds like you've made friends with a few girls~"

His pride was replaced by a beet red face, "O-Oh please Mom! With all the crazy stuff that's been going on, that's the LAST thing I'm thinking about." He assured, mind briefly thinking about his training in the UA Pool, _"Though... Asui certainly didn't look bad in that swimsu- STOP IT!"_ He shook it off, laughing nervously, "I'm more focused on the upcoming Sports Festival."

"I know I know," She waved him off, "I'm just teasing... To be honest, one of the reasons I wanted to know how you were doing so badly, was because I saw that big guy when they brought him in... Noumu, that freaky bird face gave me the creeps! I was afraid you may have been traumatized."

"Yeah, he seemed a lot less scary with my friends behind m-" He stopped, blinking in surprise, "Wait, Noumu... Is here!?" He exclaimed.

"Uh... Yeah, they've got him in maximum security containment." She replied casually, "Don't worry, there's no way he'd break out of there, besides the freak seemed brain dead anyways according to the guards." She shrugged.

Adachi felt his tension slip a little, "I... I guess you're right, sorry I just... You know," He chuckled nervously, "Last time I saw that thing it was trying to kill me so, didn't think I'd be in such close proximity to it so soon."

Shisui laughed a little at that, "Don't sweat it kid I understand, and I'm glad you're keeping it together."

"Thanks," He nodded his head to her with a smile, "So, was this all you called me here for?" Kaiji asked curiously, "I don't want to sound rude, just with the timing and everything Dad and I were worried something might have happened." He shrugged.

Shisui smirked lightly, "Oh really? Well, you're right the check up wasn't all I wanted you here for," She explained, "I was gonna make it a surprise... But Warden Komaji said I couldn't go home without a family member, or a police escort at the very least..."

Kaiji blinked, "Go home without a-" A switch flipped in his head, as he registered exactly what she was saying and his face lit up, "You're being released!?"

Shisui grinned and stood up from the table, "Thaaaat's right! My sentence was cut short a few times based on good behavior and few psyche reviews, I found out last summer I only had a year left but wanted to keep it a surprise."

"This is amazing!" Kaiji beamed standing up as well, "Dad's gonna be so happy! Oh man I can't wait for you to meet my friends too! So we can just go? You don't have to pack up or anything?" He asked, wondering how quickly they could get out of here.

"I gotta fill out a form or two, and change out of this, but I've already been taking care of a mountain of paperwork the last few weeks to make sure I could leave on time." She explained with a shrug, "Come on, lets go see the Warden and get that started, I'm dying to get out of this place!"

"Right!" Kaiji nodded, grinning from ear to ear as he followed her, glad he decided to come on this trip and even happier with how things turned out. Even after that mess at the USJ his life was just getting better. And he could only hope that it would last a long time...

 **. . .**

Hours later, when evening swept over the country of Japan, Kaiji and his mother stepped off their train. And they were greeted by awestruck faces. Adachi had sent a message ahead, telling his friends and his father to meet him at the station when he arrived. Of course, he left out why, because he didn't want to ruin his mothers surprise...

From there, it turned into a late dinner outing together. As Kaiji introduced his mother to Kirishima and Ashido, and let her catch up with his father. He felt a strange new sense of completion, knowing he'd have his entire family with him now. And any reservations he may have had about people knowing his mother was a former villain were washed away with Shisui and Ashido chatting it up like good friends despite never knowing one another.

Of course, his enjoyment of the situation turned to pure embarrassment when they started talking about Kaiji.

Later that evening however, Shisui and Kaiji learned of a bullet they'd dodged. Apparently the attacks all over Tagua weren't random, it was all coordinated as part of a prison break lead by a famous villain from Southern Japan.

The Zodiac.

The gangs causing havoc in the city were her former minions, they'd somehow been communicating through her. The police expect it was through bribed guards or maybe a telepath in her crew, and an investigation was underway but for the moment she had completely vanished off the face of the earth with no trace and those who knew of the crimes she'd committed in the past were bracing themselves for whatever was to come.

But for now, that wasn't Kaiji's concern. With only one day left before the Festival, he intended to rest and focus on what was ahead. Memories of the USJ still fresh in his mind, and with the event in Tagua, he was more determined than ever to become a hero and protect people from the kind of chaos these villains were bringing. The world was becoming more dangerous, and he wanted to be ready to meet that danger head on...


	11. The Mystery Girl, A Challenger Appears!

**Guest: Glad you're enjoying it! As for your question, its hard to say really! I think he'll end up with someone eventually, buuuut its hard deciding who ya know? Ashido is the obvious choice of course but you never know!**

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"Can't believe I was almost late!" Adachi panted as he ran, passing through the school gates after flashing his pass, "Hopefully she appreciates the seat I got her..." After swinging through the main area, he burst into the locker room where everyone was preparing. Pushing open the door sliding to a stop, gasping for breath, "I... I made it..." He rasped, slowly looking up at all of his classmates.

"A little too close for comfort Adachi." Kirishima pointed out with a chuckle, stopping him as he made his way towards the lockers to get changed.

"Yeah yeah I know," Adachi waved him off, "I just had to make sure the school knew my mom was here, I didn't want any of the pros on patrol to recognize her and freak out." He explained.

"Your Mom?" Midoriya blinked, "That's right, Ashido mentioned something about her being released."

"That's right," Adachi nodded with a grin, "My dad decided to watch from home because of his wheelchair situation, but my Mom is in the stands! Now I've just gotta hope she doesn't start a fight with someone." He chuckled.

Before they could talk more, the door exploded open, "Everyone! Get your game faces on!" Iida ordered with fire in his eyes, "We're entering the arena soon!"

"Oh crap I gotta change!" Adachi yelped, quickly rushing off to his locker and undressing. He didn't care if anyone saw him in his boxers at this point, he was in a rush! Though he was grateful Iida came in when he did, that at least got some attention off of him. Luckily someone else also planned on making a scene...

"Midoriya." He was just pulling his shirt over his head when he heard Todoroki, he poked his head out around the lockers to see what was going on.

"Uh... Hey Todoroki," Izuku replied cautiously, "What's up?"

"From an objective standpoint, I think it's fairly clear that I'm stronger than you." He said bluntly.

Midoriya blinked in surprise, before timidly nodding, "Well... Yeah."

"However," Todoroki continued, "You've got All Might in your corner, helping you out."

 _"All Might?"_ Adachi blinked, noting that everyone else looked just as confused, while Midoriya seemed startled by the accusation.

"I'm not here to pry about what's going on between you two," Todoroki added, "But know that I will beat you..."

"Sheesh, what's with all the declarations of war lately?" Kaminari questioned, attempting to break the tension.

"Yeah what's the big deal, why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?" Kirishima asked, approaching Todoroki and placing a hand on his shoulder, "And right before we get started!"

"We're not here to be each others friends," He replied sharply, shrugging off his hand, "Don't forget this isn't a team effort..." With that, he started making his way for the door.

"Wait a sec Todoroki," All eyes fell on Midoriya, the timid boy clenching his fists, "I don't know what's going through your head, or why you think you need to tell me that you'll beat me... And yeah, of course you're better than me, you probably have way more potential than anyone in the Hero course... That's why you got in so easily."

Kirishima put on a nervous smile, holding up his hands, "Midoriya maybe you're being a little hard on yourself, and us-"

"No! He's right you guys," Midoriya interrupted, "All the other classes, they're coming for us with everything they've got! We're all gonna have to fight to stand out..." His eyes rose, locking onto Todoroki's, "And I'll be aiming for the top too."

"Hm, fine."

 **. . .**

 **"Let me hear you scream as our Students make their way to the Main gate!"**

The voice of Present Mic was booming throughout the stadium. As the classes began to emerge.

 **"This first group is no stranger to the spotlight! You know them from surviving a villain attack and they will light up your TV with Solid Gold skills! The hero course students of Class 1-A!"**

As they began making their way out and onto the field, Adachi swallowed nervously, "This is... A lot of people..."

"Present Mic sure did talk us up a lot," Kirishima stated as they crossed the field, "That makes me nervous, how you feeling man?"

"Pretty much the same as you, I'll have to be careful how I use my powers here." Adachi stated, as Present Mic began introducing the other classes, "It won't be easy to go full beast here... In front of all these people."

"Are you serious?" Ashido asked, "Come on, nobody is gonna be scared by you here this is the best place to show off your power!"

"Well either way I might not be able to do it without hurting my body again," Adachi reminded, "So I'll have to save it for the right moment."

"You do make a good point..." Kirishima answered, scratching his head, "Eh, who knows, maybe you won't even need to use it!"

"That is incredibly optimistic."

Once they were all lined up before the center stage, the familiar form of Midnight took to the stand, "Now for the Opening Pledge!" Dressed in her usual, rather inappropriate attire.

"Is she really reffing like that?" Adachi sighed, blushing lightly as he shook his head.

"Yeah someone should really talk to Ms Midnight about what she's wearing," Kirishima added, "That outfit should come with a warning."

"It really isn't appropriate for a high school game." Tokoyami scoffed.

"Silence everyone!" She barked, apparently in range enough to hear them, "And for the Student Pledge! We have Katsuki Bakugou!"

"Oh no..." Adachi muttered, looking to the others, "So, what do you think the chances are he says something bad?" He asked, as Bakugou approached the stage.

"Knowing Bakugou?" Kaminari replied, "I'd say we're screwed."

"Then we're all in agreement." Tokoyami added dryly, arms crossed.

"I just wanna say," Bakugou began, as silence fell across the stadium. The students waiting to see what terrible insults he would throw out, "I'm gonna win."

"I knew he'd saying something like that!" Class 1-A exclaimed in unison.

But before the entire crowd could begin an uproar, another voice rang out from the crowd, "YEAH! That's the spirit!"

 _"Who in the-"_ Adachi's thoughts came to a screeching halt as he laid his eyes on the girl responsible. She was grinning from ear to ear, a smile that could rival All Might's, and she stood at least a foot over every other student! _"She must be at least seven feet tall!"_ He internally cried in shock. Her skin was ash brown, and from what he could see of her arms she was absolutely _built._ Muscles showing across her sturdy frame, while her face was chiseled like stone. She had piercing blue eyes, and undercut white hair that with a tuft of blue hair on top.

"You know what Bakugou?!" She continued, still grinning from ear to ear, "I'm gonna win too! So you better be ready for some competition!" She declared with an aura of confidence, releasing a booming laugh as the other students looked at her with a mixture of confusion and nervous laughter.

"That's healthy sportsmanship Ryou! Everyone should follow her example today!" Midnight praised her for a brief moment as the girl bowed her head, "Now... Without further adieu, its time to get started!" She continued, "This is where you begin feeling the pain! The first fateful game of the Festival!" She declared, as a holo-screen appeared behind her. Spinning slots preparing to decide their fates, "What could it be?"

Adachi held his breath.

"Tadaaaa~!" The wheel stopping on Obstacle Race, "All Eleven Classes will participate in this treacherous contest! And must pass four kilometers around the outside of the stadium! I don't want to restrain anyone, at least not in this game~" She licked her lips, "So as long as you don't leave the course, you're free to do whatever your heart desires! Now then, TAKE YOUR PLACES CONTESTANTS!"

Adachi nodded, heading for the starting zone as Kirishima walked beside him, "Dude did you see that girl?" The red haired boy asked.

"Hmm?" Adachi quirked an eyebrow, "Yeah, I think Midnight called her Ryou?"

"She looks like a total beast doesn't she!?" He asked, sounding a little flustered, "I wonder what her Quirk is! It's probably something awesome!"

Adachi sweatdropped, "Uh, lets just focus on the event for now..."

The horde of students finished taking their positions at the main gate, the first part of the race being to pass through the narrow doorway and hall before them. Adachi narrowed his eyes, realizing this would be a complete mess with so many people. But he had a plan right of the bat, and quickly took off his shoes.

"BEGIN!"

It was absolute mayhem as the students charged forward. Cramming into the narrow space of the hall. Shoving, pushing and trying to get past the mound of bodies.

 _"I was right!"_ Adachi realized as he jumped from the back, growing claws on his hand, and both feet mid air. He stuck to the wall, the claws digging in before he began to run on all four limbs along the wall. _"This is the first obstacle! Getting through this chaos!"_

And he wasn't the only one who figured out, as Adachi was nearing the end a blast of cold erupted from the tunnel freezing a majority of the students in place. Todoroki flying ahead of the competition and freezing the earth behind him. But he wasn't alone, many other members of Class 1-A were blasting ahead, completely avoiding the ice with their own Quirks or wit. Adachi jumped from the wall, having fallen a little behind, and hit the ground running.

 _"So I wasn't the only one,"_ He thought to himself, using his claws to dig into the ice and gain leverage while doing his best to ignore the cold, _"All of our class, we saw the obstacle and we made our move, we didn't hesitate..."_ He noted, waving at Ashido as he slid passed her _._

His thoughts came to a halt as did he. Sliding to a stop before the rising mountain of robots up ahead, _"Th-Those are from the entrance exam!"_ He gasped, looking up at the giant beasts, _"No, I don't need to waste my time on these, this is a competition, I'm not saving anyone here!"_ He decided, rushing forward as Todoroki brought one of the metal monsters down with a blast of ice. Giving him an even bigger lead as the robot fell upon the crowd behind him.

"That red haired guy got trapped underneath that huge robot!" Someone shouted, and Adachi instinctively slid to a halt.

 _"Kirishima!"_ He made a straight line for the fallen mech, jumping forward and smashing through two smaller ones that got in his way. But just as he started reaching the machine the metal casing began to tear open from the inside.

And Kirishima's rock hard form emerged, his Quirk covering his whole body, "I'M ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!" He roared intensely.

Adachi sighed heavily, changed course and kept running, _"... Dammit Kirishima..."_

 **. . .  
**

Meanwhile in the stands, as the games continued All Might sat down beside Principal Nezu, "Seems things are heating up out there, and Class 1-A is taking the lead, not that the others are doing badly..."

"Quite," Nezu nodded in response, before releasing a small chuckle, "This must be quite the interesting event for you, you've got some conflicting connections during the first years events."

"It will be a good test for young Midoriya, that's for sure." All Might responded, not wanting to say too much as he thought of that girl who spoke up during the pledge, _"I'd prefer it if Midoriya never spoke to her, but there's no way she isn't making it far during the games..."_

 **"Looks like our contestants are nearing the final obstacle! You'd better watch yourself out there kids! BECAUSE YOU'RE STEPPING ONTO A MINEFIELD!"  
**

 **. . .  
**

Adachi was panting lightly as he stopped at the edge of the field, "Oh come on, this is ridiculous!" He exclaimed, having nearly fallen as he crossed the chasms he was about ready to be done with UA's antics in this race.

People were already clamoring across the minefield, setting them off left and right. But he could see the stadium in the distance, if he just got ahead of some of them now he could make it into the leading scores. Adachi already knew speed wasn't his strongsuit so getting first place was not his goal, he just needed enough to stay in the game!

"Hraaah!" He bulked up quickly, transforming and charging forward. His heavy feet thudding against the ground, _"My scales make me more durable, and my heavier body will make it harder to get blown away! I might just be able to tank my way through these flashy toys!"_

"Holy crap Adachi!" Kirishima cried out as he ran by, "Your mouth guard thing is gone!"

"What?" Adachi said without thinking, before he gasped in shock stumbling forward to a halt as he heard his own deeper voice, "Aagh!? Wh-What happened to it!?" He demanded, grabbing as his now open reptilian mouth, "Wait, what am I saying, NOT THE TIME!" Before rushing forward, _"That's weird, but maybe when I transformed further and it broke away that change was permanent? Ugh, why is my quirk so damn confusing!?"_

Landmines were erupting behind him, and around him. His heavy footsteps making it easier to set them off, but at the same time his increased weight was making it impossible for them to blast him off the ground only staggering him.

"Woah!" His eyes darted sideways to the familiar voice, as he saw that girl from earlier running through explosions as well, "That's so-" Her words were cut off by the blast but she didn't seem to phased at all! "Your some kind of- ***BANG*** -iant lizard ma- ***CRASH*** -can you get bigger or is th- ***KABOOM*** "

 _"What the hell is she!?"_ He wondered, turning his attention forward as he neared the end of the minefield. The brief distraction made him completely miss Midoriya's explosive charge forward, taking the lead as he rushed ahead of Bakugou and Todoroki who were fighting for first. And now with the field cleared it was just a race to get through the final gate!

 **"Eraser Head your students are AMAZING!"** Present Mic exclaimed over the loudspeakers, **"What the heck have you been teaching them!?"**

 **"This has nothing to do with me,"** The mummified teacher of Class 1-A explained simply, **"Each of them is powered by their own drive to succeed."**

Adachi was rushing through the gateway, other students right behind him as was the weird girl, **"Well there you have it folks! ERASER HEAD IS A TERRIBLE TEACHER!"**

 **"Wait what!?"**

 **"The first person to make it back into the stadium is... IZUKU MIDORIYA!"**

The crowd was exploding as the winner was announced, students passing through the gateway and coming to a halt panting for breath. Adachi stopped as well, leaning forward on his knees and trying regain his breath, _"Holy crap, I completely forgot that I haven't even transformed since the USJ, and now I've got a mouth?"_ He thought to himself, feeling his new exposed jaw and poking at his sharp teeth inside before shaking it off and turning back to normal. He looked around to some of the other students, watching as others poured in and names across a board up top filled up. It seemed like they were only taking in the top 42 students to make it back, cutting down the numbers sharply.

As his eyes drifted across the others, he spotted that strange girl speaking with some of the other students from class 1-B. _"So she must be from the other Hero class... I almost forgot there's another hero class doing all the same stuff we do."_ He noted, before his eyes widened, _"Wait a minute... That girl,"_ Everyone around him, all the other students that had just finished running was totally gassed. Even those who got first place were still catching their breath, _"But she's... Totally fine? She was even talking while sprinting! What IS she!?"_

* * *

 **And so the changes to the Sports Festival Begin! MWAHAHAHAHA That's right readers! Class 1-B has got their own extra on the field so you'd better watch out!**


	12. Cavalry Battle! The Mystery of Ryou

And then came the cavalry battle.

Midnight laid out the rules, and everyone knew what they'd be worth. Poor Midoriya had basically been given a bullseye with that whopping 10,000,000 Point Ribbon. That was the burden of being on top it seemed. Adachi himself didn't have many points to contribute, so he needed to find a versatile team to work with that could benefit from the brute force of his Quirk. He instantly went to Kirishima, thinking teaming with friends would be smartest but the boy already seemed to have a plan in mind...

"Are you sure this will work?" Adachi asked, as he followed Kirishima towards Bakugou.

"Of course! Just let me do the talking," Kirishima assured, "I can speak his language."

"If you say so..."

"HEY BAKUGOU!" Kirishima cried out as he approached, breaking through the wall of people around him trying desperately to get him as a team mate, "I was gonna try Todoroki but he already picked a group, so Hey! We should team up!"

Bakugou gave him a bored look, "Hey dumb hair."

"MY NAME IS KIRISHIMA!" The red head barked back, before pointing to Bakugou's head, "And my hair isn't that different from yours! Come on," He smirked suddenly, "You wanna be the rider right? You're gonna need a couple of strong horses that won't get hurt by your explosions." He hardened his arm suddenly, while hiking a thumb over his shoulder at Adachi, "That's us! So let's go!"

"I don't know..." Bakugou answered, looking between them, Adachi quickly transformed to hopefully sway the vote, "I'm gonna need people with guts."

"Come on, our Quirks were made for this!" Kirishima pressed, "Lets go charging into battle together, for the Ten Million!" Playing his Ace, Kirishima made it clear he wanted to target Midoriya, and it seemed to get instant results, "Bring it." Bakugou's face lighting up with wicked glee.

"And with my powerful tail I can guard our backs without even needing my arms," Adachi added, before shooting a sideways glance to Ashido, "And if we bring Ashido she could melt Todoroki's ice."

"What?" She blinked, "Oh uh, I mean yeah of course I can!"

Bakugou nodded, having already decided, "Alright, lets do it."

 **. . .**

 **"After fifteen minutes to pick teams and talk strategy! We have twelve cavalry teams prepared to go head to head!"** Present mic announced, the event about to begin as the teams readied around the far edges of the center field.

 **"Hmm, I'm seeing some unexpected student combinations."** Aizawa pointed out as he looked over the prepared teams.

 **"Time for an all out student battle royal! NOW LET ME HEAR YOU SCREEEEEAM!"**

Adachi was already transformed, his tail lashing around behind him as he held Bakugou's left flank. Ashido was on the right, and Kirishima took the front space. Their strategy was simple, use Kirishima as a shield while attacking the other teams, keep Ashido ready for defending against Todoroki's ice attacks, and Adachi would guard the back. But more so, he was there to keep the team mobile, with his incredible strength he was more than powerful enough to lift all three of them if need be.

The countdown started, and everyone tensed up, "Alright, let's get him as soon as the game starts!" Bakugou ordered, already setting Midoriya as the target.

 **"BEGIN!"** Lady Midnight announced, kicking off the games.

Instantly, all teams were heading right for Midoriya, who was teamed up with Uraraka, some girl from the support course, and Tokoyami. Nobody here was holding back, but as they all closed in it was obvious that Midoriya already had a plan. Suited up with some support class gear, he blasted off into the sky with his team right behind him!

 _"How can one jetpack hold up that many people!?"_ Adachi demanded to know, before her remembered Uraraka's Quirk, _"Of course, she must be making them all lighter so they can move faster and fly!"_ Jirou lashed out at the flying team with her earphone jacks, only for Tokoyami's Dark Shadow to emerge and bat them away with ease, _"And Tokoyami can cover all their defense, from every direction! Midoriya... I forgot how damn smart you are!"_

Bakugou's team was in hot pursuit, as Midoriya's team landed for a brief moment only to be surrounded once again. Mineta and Asui attacked from Shouji's back, forcing them to take flight once more but some of the equipment was damaged by Mineta's sticky balls in take off. Unfortunately, as they climbed higher into the sky Bakugou had grown tired of waiting and assumed they were in range.

"Get ready to catch me!" He ordered, before blasting off into the sky at high speed with his explosions.

"Oh come on!" Ashido cried out, "How are we supposed to keep up with-" She was cut off with a yelp as Adachi's tail wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the ground. His hands grabbed a hold of Kirishima as well before he kicked it into high gear.

"I'll keep us in range to catch him just hold on!" Adachi called out, Bakugou's airborne attack blocked by Dark Shadow, the firebrand boy falling back to earth in disbelief, "Get ready!" He set down Ashido and Kirishima, before his tail lashed out and caught Bakugou pulling him back into formation.

"Gaah! Dammit that stupid bird!" Bakugou growled, not noticing the group incoming from behind, "Get ready to attack again!"

Adachi felt a twinge of discomfort, his instincts kicking in as his eyes darted upward. A condescending voice ringing out, "Your class is too small minded, Midnight sa- Hngh!" The blonde haired boy yelped as Adachi's powerful tail wrapped around his forearm stopping him just inches from snagging Bakugou's headband.

"I'm sorry were you just monologuing?" Adachi questioned with a wicked smirk, the boy in his grasp looking like a child who'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "Maybe you should talk less and act faster!" He released his arm suddenly, before his tail reached out wrapping catching the bands around the boys neck yanking them away in an instant depriving his team of all their points!

"Baah!? B-But I-" The boy stammered as Bakugou's team turned on him, Adachi handing the bands to their leader.

"Dammit Monoma can you save the condescending speech for AFTER we have their bands!?" One of his team mates barked at him.

"Ha! Good work lizard lips!" Bakugou sneered, "Now lets go get those Ten Million points!" He ordered, pointing to the icy wall Todoroki had boxed in Midoriya's team with.

"Right!" Turning sharply their group made a B line for the ice wall, Bakugou bracing himself to blow right through it. But Adachi was fired up, as they neared the wall he drew more strength into his leg and tail muscles, "Hang on everyone!" He cried out, before springing off his tail and legs, launching them all into the air and clearing the wall in an instant.

"Yeaaah! Lets go!" Ashido cried out in excitement, they'd more than secured their spot so long as they didn't lose any headbands!

"There!" Kirishima cried as they landed, "Todoroki and Midoriya!"

"Which one has the points!?" Bakugou demanded, gritting his teeth as he looked up at the scoreboard, before blasting off into the air without warning, "DAMMIT ICY HOT!"

"Dammit Bakugou!" Kirishima cried out, the group rushing to catch him as he flew.

Up ahead, Todoroki and Midoriya were charging to engage once more. Their teammates preparing for a fight as they closed in, and with Bakugou entering the mix...

"This is gonna get messy!" Adachi exclaimed.

 **"TIMES UP!"**

All excitement and intensity came to a screeching halt, as Bakugou dropped from the air and hit the ground. All the tension felt between the competitors dissipated in a split second, as Adachi sighed and stepped back from the others slowly changing back to normal, "This festival is really something else..."

 **"Lets get a recap folks!"** Present Mic called out, as everyone's cheers slowed down to get the final results, **"In first place we've got Team Todoroki! And in second, we've got Team Bakugou!"**

"Oh man," Ashido pouted, "We were so close to first place..." She grumbled.

"I mean hey, at least we're all advancing," Adachi shrugged, "That's good enough for me."

"I don't think our leader would agree." Kirishima chuckled pointing to Bakugou as he sat on the ground.

The boy was positively livid, "AAAAAAAAAAAGH! DAAAMMIT!"

 **"And in third place! Team Testute- Wait, Team Shinso!? When did they come back from the dead!?"** Present Mic exclaimed in shock.

"Wait, Shinso..." Adachi blinked, remembering him, _"He made it? But he's not even in the hero course, who was he even partnered with?"_

 **"And finally taking the fourth place spot and advancing, we've got Team Midoriya!"** And so the four teams advancing to the final round of the Festival were decided, **"Now lets take an hour Lunch break before the afternoon festivities! Hey, Eraser Head, lets get some food."**

 **"I'm taking a nap..."**

 **. . .  
**

Adachi hit the lunch area hard, filling several plates with food and taking a seat in his reptilian form as he began to chow down, _"I've never been able to eat in this body before, but it feels so good!"_ He thought, stuffing his face with mouthfuls of food and clearing plates in seconds as his jagged teeth gnashed and tore through food, _"I've got to stock up anyways, I can't afford to run out of steam in the finals! Whatever the finals are that is..."_

"Hey Adachi!"

He turned his head, cheeks puffed out fool as he spotted his mother approaching. He swallowed it all and drank some water to force it down before waving, "Hi Mom! Are you enjoying the games so far?" Before he blinked in realization, "Wait, are you supposed to be in this area?"

"Probably not," She shrugged, before instantly adding, "And hell yeah I am enjoying them!" She exclaimed, taking a seat across from him and snagging one of his plates to start eating, "You've been kicking ass! But I'm sick of seeing you not in first place so you'd better kick it up a notch in the finals or your grounded!" She declared with a intensity, "That's right I'm a stay at home mom now I can enforce these penalties! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Adachi sweatdropped, "Yeah I guess I have no choice..."

Not too far away, beyond his range of hearing, Tetsutetsu was taking a seat with his plate of food across from a member of his team. He started munching on a riceball before looking up at the girl across from him, "Sorry I messed up so badly Ryou, I barely even remember what happened, we just suddenly didn't have our points..."

Ryou blinked, mouth half full of noodles while several long strings hung out of her mouth, "Hmm?" She slurped it down quickly, swallowing the mouthful, "Oh that's fine! We put on a good show don't beat yourself up over it!" She assured with a big smile, "So what if you're not going to finals its fine!"

"I hate not making it, but you..." He sighed shaking his head as he ate, "Maybe if you'd been on a better team, you'd have passed... You're the real deal Rinsuke, people can talk up class 1-A all they want, and Monoma can be a condescending prick, but you've really got talent, you should be in the finals!"

Ryou looked at him in surprise, her smile faltering for a moment, "You know what... You're right!" She stood up from the table suddenly, "I should have done better! I failed you, team leader!" She did a full bow, hands firmly at her sides, "If I had tried harder we would have made it into the finals! I'm sorry I failed you! I'm going to find the others and apologize as well!"

Without waiting for his response, she bolted leaving behind most of her food and a very confused Tetsutetsu before he could stop her.

At the moment, Adachi was returning his trays after he'd finished eating when he spotted her taking off. Realizing he still had time before the finals would begin, he walked off after her hoping to get some information and maybe learn a bit about her. She certainly seemed to stand out among all the students here, and he was a bit sad she wouldn't be in the finals. But there was something else, he couldn't quite put his finger on it but something about her was... Off.

And his mother was currently being escorted out by Lunch Rush so he didn't need to worry about her for the moment...

He spotted Ryou darting around a corner to a hall that seemed pretty empty, he was just about to turn the corner when he heard a familiar booming laugh that halted him, "Ah! Young Rinsuke Ryou, I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself today!"

Adachi stayed in hiding, not poking around the corner just yet, _"All Might..."_

"O-Oh yes! I'm having a great time All Might!" She answered with her own beaming smile and bright laugh, "Its great to see you again sir! I'm sorry I won't be able to display my skills in the finals!"

All Might waved her off, "Worry not! I don't need to see your abilities to know you'd make more improvements since I met you, I wouldn't have given you a recommendation otherwise!"

Adachi's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, _"She was one of the five students that got in on a recommendation!?"_ He internally screamed, _"And hers came from All Might himself!?"_

"And I can never repay you for such kindness sir!" She added, bowing her head, "I hate to cut this meeting short, but I must find my teammates and apologize for my inadequate display during the Cavalry battle!"

"Hmm? Don't beat yourself up over that," All Might ordered, patting her on the shoulder, "I'm sure your friends don't blame you, just try to enjoy yourself today."

"Y-Yes sir of course! Thank you." She nodded, saying her goodbyes and bowing respectfully before continuing on her way.

Adachi decided he'd heard enough and backed away slowly, not wanting to get caught eavesdropping, "That girl... She's-"

"Quite interesting wouldn't you say!?" All Might asked appearing right behind him with blinding speed.

"AAAAAAAAAAGH!"

All Might laughed at his reaction, "You know eavesdropping on your fellow students isn't very heroic young Adachi!" He reminded, wagging a finger with one hand on his hip.

The boy swallowed nervously, "Y-Yes sir I'm sorry... I just, well, I had a weird feeling about her, and wanted to know more... Something about the way she acts is so..."

"Like me?" He finished the thought, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, kind of," Adachi admitted, "I was gonna go ask her more actually, I didn't mean to eavesdrop I swear!"

"Hmm, it is good that you are interested in learning about your fellow students," All Might replied, nodding his head, "But I would say focus more on your own coming trials." He warned, "Good luck in the finals, I'll be watching!" He added, before walking off on his own way.

As he did so, Adachi sighed lightly, "Right... I shouldn't be worrying about what everyone else is doing, I've got to focus."

But as All Might went, his thoughts drifted to the boy he was leaving behind, _"Young Adachi... Is it possible you see through her? How interesting... For someone so young to read others so well... I may need to be more careful around you."_


	13. The Final Event, I'll Kill You Endeavor!

**Raidentensho: Hmm, never thought of him getting weapons lol and as for Shisui becoming a teacher that is probably unlikely XD But who knows! Maybe they'll have her sub in to show the kids how villains fight for once!**

* * *

After the lunch break, everyone was gathered before Midnight's stage once more to discuss the final round. Though most of the students already had an idea of what would be going on based on the massive tournament bracket being displayed over the stadiums main screen. Of course the start of these events were slowed by the Class 1-A Girls dressing up as cheerleaders thanks to Mineta and Kaminari's meddling.

"Aww yeah," Kirishima was beaming right now, "Time for us to finally show what we're made of!" Adachi looked to his friend, practically feeling his excitement right now, "I've watched these finals every year and now I'm actually in them this is gonna be so awesome!"

"So wait," Ashido began, Adachi doing his hardest to keep his eyes on her own in that uniform, "Is it always a tournament?"

"The final's always a one on one competition but they switch it up every time," Adachi explained with a shrug, "Last year it was a foam sword fighting match."

"Passing teams will come forward and draw lots to see who they're up against," Midnight announced once everyone was assembled and ready, "Then enjoy the pleasure of the recreational games before we start, during that time our sixteen winners can either participate or prepare for your upcoming matches, I'm sure some of you will want to conserve your stamina." She added with a smirk, before stepping down with the lots box, "We'll start with the first place team."

"Um... Excuse me," Adachi turned his head towards Ojirou's voice, the boy raising his hand among the crowd, "Sorry but... I'm withdrawing."

 _"What?!"_ Adachi went wide eyed, "But... We trained so hard for today..." He muttered.

"Ojirou, no way!" Midoriya exclaimed as Iida turned to him as well.

"But, this is a rare chance for you to get scouted!" The class rep argued.

"It just wouldn't be right," Ojirou answered, lowering his arm, "I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until the very end of it... I think it was that guys Quirk." He explained.

 _"Who was Ojirou paired up again?"_ Adachi questioned, looking to way Ojirou was glancing and gasping, _"Shinso? Right, he made it to the finals... But I never even saw his Quirk, he didn't use it during the entrance exam either..."_

"I know this is a great opportunity," Ojirou continued, "And I wish I could take advantage of it, but my conscience won't let me."

Midoriya frowned at him, "Come on just think about this-"

"I have okay!" Midoriya flinched at his response, "Everyone else gave their all in round two, and I was just someones puppet... No way, I don't want to advance if I don't even know how I got here, it wouldn't be fair..."

"You're making way too much of this!" Hagakure exclaimed, "Just kill it in the finals and prove you deserve to be here!"

"Yeah what she said!" Ashido added with a smile, "I didn't really do much in the cavalry battle either."

"That's not it," Ojirou replied, lowering his head as he covered his eyes with one hand, "I'm talking about my pride here! I-I can't just give that up... Also, why are all the girls dressed like cheerleaders?"

"Nirengeki Shouda, class 1-B," Another boy spoke up as he stepped forward, "And I'd like to withdraw for the exact same reason, regardless of how strong I am..." He clenched one of his fists tightly, "This isn't how I wanted to get here! It would go against the values of the festival without earning my spot!"

"Yugo Aoyama," Adachi was most of all surprised to hear his voice, as the blonde boy spoke up, "It pains me to admit it... But I must withdraw as well, I didn't even get to dazzle anyone with my sparkling light during the cavalry battle!"

"Listen to these guys!" Kirishima was clenching his fists, tears in his eyes, "They're so manly!"

"Are you seriously crying right now?" Adachi asked, sweatdropping.

Things fell silent, as the students waited to here what Midnight had to say about this. The teacher was in charge so it was all up to her, "This kind of talk is incredibly naive my boys!" She finally shouted, slashing her arm through the air, "That turns me on!"

"D-Did she just say-"

"Shouda! Ojirou! Aoyama! You're withdrawn!" She announced, "We'll have to move up three students from the fifth place calvalry team to fill in!"

The leader of said team spoke up, "We really didn't do much, we were frozen half the time," The red head explained, looking to her team mates who nodded in agreement, "You should give the opportunity to the team that kept fighting the hole time, Team Tetsutetsu."

The silver haired boy himself was in shock, "K-Kendo... You'd really-"

"I'm not doing this as a favor," She shrugged casually, "Its just fair."

Ryou moved with blinding speed, arriving on one knee at Kendo's feet, "You all, thank you so much! I promise I won't let you down! I'll win the festival for all your sacrifice!"

Kendo laughed at her, pulling back at her hand before bopping Ryou on the head, "Seriously you've gotta stop apologizing, just do your best." She ordered, "And try to have fun."

After a brief change to the lots, Midnight made her announcement after all the students had drawn, "And so Tetsutetsu, Shiozaki and Ryou will advance! Let's take a look at the bracket!"

The screen overhead updated, allowing everyone to see who they'd be fighting, displaying the matches in order for round one of the tourney.

 **Izuku Midoriya VS Hitoshi Shinso**

 **Shouto Todoroki VS Tetsutetsu**

 **Ibara Shiozaki VS Denki Kaminari**

 **Tenya Iida VS Mei Hatsume**

Those were in the first bracket, so they'd be climbing the tree against one another. The second part of the tourney tree consisted:

 **Mina Ashido VS Kaiji Adachi**

 **Momo Yaoyorozu VS Fumikage Tokoyami**

 **Rinsuke Ryou VS Eijiro Kirishima**

 **Ochako Uraraka VS Katsuki Bakugou**

Adachi blinked in surprise as he spotted his name, eyes shifting to his nearby friend, "Well... This is awkward." He laughed nervously.

Ashido chuckled a bit at his obvious tension, "Relax, no hard feelings right?" She asked with a smile, "No crying when I melt your butt!"

Adachi nodded his head with a laugh, "Right!"

"And it looks like my first match is against that girl," Kirishima muttered, looking across the field to her, "Too bad I haven't seen what her Quirk is yet..."

 _"Should I tell him what I found out about her?"_ Adachi wondered, _"Kirishima might freak out if he learned she was recommended to the school by All Might... No, there's no reason to go spreading that around."_ He decided, returning attention to Midnight as she prepared to speak.

"Before we get down to the tournament, we'll be enjoying some recreational games!" She called out, "All students are free to participate and have fun!"

As things started getting under way, Adachi headed up to the stands. With everything going on, he wanted to take the time to clear his head and prep for all the upcoming matches he might have to go through.

 _"I hate to sound over confident, but I'm pretty sure I can beat Ashido,"_ Adachi thought to himself as he walked, _"After that, it'll be either Tokoyami or Yaoyorozu... Both their Quirks are super versatile, so I'll need to be careful... And then,"_ He stopped briefly in the hall, _"Either Ryou, or Bakugou... I'm not sure I like my odds against Bakugou, though Kirishima wasn't wrong during the cavalry battle I can take his explosions pretty well so long as I stay transformed, if he isn't able to literally blow me out of the ring I have a chance, but Ryou... If she ends up being my opponent... I need to pay close attention to her matches and see what she can do."_

 **. . .**

Shisui herself was just returning to her seat with some food, enjoying all the luxuries of being out in the free world again as she scarfed down some nachos with her drink while walking, _"Man this is great, a day out to watch my son kick some ass!"_ She thought to herself as she went, nearing the stairs leading back up to her seat as she passed through the secluded hallway, "Maybe I should find him before the matches start... Give him another pep talk." She reasoned, about to make a turn around when she spotted a towering frame coming down the stairs.

As the flames on his body came into view however, all other thoughts vanished from her mind and she dropped both her food and drink...

"En... Dea... Vor..." Her teeth clenched tightly shut, as her eyes began to glow. Jade green scales were forming around along her arms, horns sprouting from her head and growing into a curved shape.

The man noticed her, hearing her words echoing in the hall, "Hmm? What th-" His voice hitched in surprise, recognizing her instantly, "You... What are you doing here?!" He demanded, narrowing his eyes, still seeing her as the same villain he threw away years ago.

"You SON OF A BITCH!" She exploded, breaking into a dead sprint towards him, neither of them hearing the approaching footsteps, "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL BREAK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY KENTO!"

"I don't know how you got out of prison but I'm sending you right back!" Endeavor sneered, preparing to fend her off.

"STOP!" Before the two could collide, All Might got between them catching Shisui mid run, "What are you doing!? Are you crazy!?" He demanded, looking down at her sternly and staying between her and the number two hero, "Think of how Young Kaiji would feel if you went back to prison!"

Shisui clenched her now jagged teeth tight as she glared up at him, it was the first time she'd been in All Might's presence. It was certainly intimidating, and steadied her nerves a bit but she was still pissed. "All Might... This is the man, the man that broke my husbands spine! The bastard hero Endeavor!"

The number one hero visibly stiffened, head turning slowly to look at Endeavor. As the man himself lowered his guard, smirking faintly, "So, the boy with the transformation is yours, I should have guessed... I've seen his performance today, he's got potential, its a shame he's got such an ill tempered mother... I can't believe they let you out of prison." He spat, glaring at Shisui, "You're lucky I don't report this attempted assault and haul you right back."

"Try it you mother fu-" Shisui was silenced as All Might raised his hand up between them.

"Endeavor, go," All Might ordered, eyes narrowed sharply at him, "There's no need to antagonize this woman further, she is doing her best to be a mother, she's no villain anymore."

Endeavor didn't like being given orders, but he would much rather get away from All Might than deal with him at the moment, "Fine, keep that temper in check, witch." He said, before walking off down the hall.

As the two were left alone, All Might released a sigh, his own anger leaving with the breath, "Are you okay?" He asked, turning to face her as he noted the twisted up emotions she displayed on her face.

Shisui's own anger was dissipating as well, "No... I'm really not, but thank you for intervening when you did." She said grimly, shaking her head, "I'm sorry, All Might..."

All Might nodded his head, "Think nothing of it, I had no idea of you and boys history with him... If I'd known I would have had the school take some measures to avoid you at all being near each other today." He chuckled lightly, "Come now, I'll escort you back to your seat."

As the two began to walk, Shisui kept her eyes down in thought, following behind the Number 1 Hero. Finally, as they neared the entrance out to the rest of the seating, she stopped, "All Might... What do you think of Kaiji? Do you think he can actually become a hero? With a mother like me behind him?" She asked sadly, revealing some her own well masked insecurities.

All Might stopped as well, looking back at her slowly, "You are no villain anymore, the very fact such a thing concerns you means you've changed... But, to answer your question," A smile spread across his face again, "Your son will grow to be an amazing hero, he is strong, determined, and wise beyond his years." All Might assured, "And to be perfectly honest, I admire him a great deal... After the USJ incident, I was among those who thought he might leave UA, whether it be because of injuries of trauma." He admitted, earning a concerned look from Shisui, "But he stayed, got right back up and decided he wanted to be a hero more than ever... He's passionate, though perhaps lacking a bit in confidence, that will change as he grows I'm sure." All Might finished with a nod, "You have raised a fine young man."

Shisui digested his praise, eyes wide hearing such words coming from the Number 1 Hero, "All Might... Thank you." She nodded slowly, smile spreading across her face, "Its good to know that my son has such a great man watching over him."

He released a booming laugh in response, "He is one of my students after all! Now please, return to your seat and enjoy the rest of the games, your son will be wanting your support I'm sure!"

"Right, thanks again All Might!" She waved and walked off passed him back out to the crowded seats.

As she went, All Might released a small sigh, _"You've certainly got an interesting family, young Adachi..."_


	14. First Round! The Power of Rinsuke Ryou!

**Drakedragon297: Glad I am able to instill such anger XD**

* * *

Soon after, the games came to a close and the tournament began in earnest. Things kicked off with Midoriya and Shinso, a match Adachi watched very closely. After knowing Shinso and seeing him come this far in the Festival he was interested in finding out what his Quirk was. But it was over pretty quick, with Midoriya somehow overcoming the power of Shinso's mind control ability and throwing him out of the ring.

Over all it wasn't very eventful, and Midoriya still wasn't using his Quirk much...

Then came a more interesting match up, as Tetsutetsu stepped into the ring to face off with Todoroki. From what Adachi knew about both competitors, it seemed like Todoroki had an advantage, considering Tetsutetsu had basically the same Quirk as Kirishima.

 **"First up we have a Passionate Manly fighter made of steel!"** Present Mic announced, **"The Hero Course's, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!"**

The boy clenched his fists tightly and roared, "BRING IIIIIIIT!"

 **"Versus! An early front runner in the competition that's WAY too strong for his own good, someone who made it into the hero course on recommendations... It's, SHOUTO TODOROKI!"**

Todoroki remained where he was, eyes downcast by his multi-colored hair.

 **"BEGIN!"**

"I'm gonna crush you ice boy!" Tetsutetsu cried out, charging forward with an intense battle cry, trying to cross the arena to hit him, "Try to freeze steel!" He challenged, body hardening and changing color.

"Apologies..." Todoroki muttered, his eyes raising up and nearly making Tetsutetsu stumble with the sheer fury behind them. His left side frosting over as he suddenly unleashed a mountainous wall of ice.

Adachi's eyes widened in shock as it hit Tetsutetsu and pushed him back while also spreading far past him and engulfing much of the arena itself! The students of 1-A and many people in the stands were left staring up at a massive sheet of ice, _"He can produce this much power!?"_ Adachi realized in awe.

Down in the ring, Tetsutetsu was frozen to the front of the ice block, struggling like a mad beast trying to break free. Midnight herself was half frozen, and looked over to him slowly, "Tell the truth Tetsutetsu... Can you move?"

"Grr... D-Dammit!" Tetsutetsu growled, struggling for a moment before lowering his head, "No... I can't..."

"Tetsutetsu has been immobilized!" Midnight announced, "Todoroki will advance!"

The winner walked forward slowly, as Tetsutetsu glared daggers at him, "You couldn't just fight me you had to completely humiliate me?" He spat sharply, "Class 1-A really is full of jerks..."

"I'm sorry..." Todoroki said, with genuine regret in his voice, "I was angry, I didn't mean to..."

Adachi released a breath he didn't realize he was holding as Todoroki began to melt the ice, _"That power... Todoroki is crazy strong!"_

 **. . .  
**

From there, the next two matches flew by pretty fast. Kaminari was totally crushed by Ibara Shiozaki and her Vine Quirk. And Mei Hatsume turned Iida's first match into an infomercial before surrendering to let him advance. The entire time, Adachi was thinking ahead for his matches, but now it was time for him to finally step into the ring. He hadn't said much to Ashido, letting her chat with her friends as he brooded over the tasks ahead of him...

But now, they were stepping into the ring at opposite ends, the announcer calling out their names, **"He's already shown off his abilities to transform, from the Hero Course we've got KAIJI ADACHI!"**

 _"I don't want to waste time, sorry Ashido."_ Adachi decided, clenching his fist and transforming quickly as he rose to full height, "HRAAAH!" He roared, his deeper voice echoing along with crowd cheering in response.

 **"And also from the hero course... Do those things on her head actually do anything? Anyways, It's MINA ASHIDO!"**

Ashido smirked at him, weighing her options as she prepared her own strategy and got ready to kick this off.

 **"BEGIN!"**

The moment he spoke, Adachi charged. Racing across the arena to reach her, but Ashido wasn't planning on waiting for him. She began skating forward towards him, _"I know he's got me beat in brute strength, but if I can make up for it in speed I might have a chance!"_ She schemed, acid emitting from the bottom of her special shoes.

 _"A direct attack?"_ Adachi realized, _"She can't be serious!"_ As the distance closed, he swung his fist forward having to aim lower to try and hit her. But she ducked low and slid right beneath his swing, pivoting her feet and slipping around him. The punch kept going and hit the arena floor shattering the stone, _"A feint!"_ He realized too late.

As Ashido moved past him she spun around, slinging out acid from her hands that splashed against his back, "Ha! Gotchya!"

"Grah!" He growled in pain, stumbling forward and snarling as he used his tail to wipe it away. It stung a little, but he could tell she wasn't using any of the strong stuff, she was smart enough not to use the more dangerous acid on people, _"She's going to use her ability to move faster than me... But I know you Ashido, you haven't thought too far ahead!"_

Without waiting for her to make another move, Adachi charged again with a plan in mind. And Ashido began skating towards him as well, her movement pattern showed she was going for the same attack. He had to make it believable, and so he lunged forward with both fists. Once again she slipped right through his grasp, slinging more acid that stuck to his chest melting through what remained of his shirt and stinging his skin.

Adachi really sold the injury, stumbling back and frantically trying to wipe it off with his hands. Ashido took the bait, "Now's my chance!" She declared, racing back in close, "Time for my finishing move!" She jumped, swinging her powerful fist upward, "UPPERCUT!"

"Grah!" Adachi had to admit, even with his heightened durability, that punch still rung his bell. He nearly forgot about the plan, _"Damn she hits hard!"_ He thought to himself, then started making his move, he needed to act before she touched down on the ground again. As his body was still reeling back, his tail lashed out at her from behind wrapping tightly around her body.

"Agh! H-Hey no fair!" She barked in frustration while trying to struggle free.

"Sorry Ashido," He smirked, before racing towards the edge of the arena, "But I WIN!" He spun around, and released her with his tail sending her flying out of the ring. She hit the ground and tumbled to a halt in the grass below.

"Ashido is out of bounds! ADACHI WINS!" Midnight announced, the crowd lighting up again and cheering with excitement.

Adachi himself shifted back to normal, sighing in relief before hopping over the side and walking over to his friend, "Hey, sorry about the throw." He chuckled, offering her a hand to help her up.

Ashido pouted, taking his hand and getting pulled up, "You should be! I landed right on my butt." She huffed, rubbing her sore rear, "But it was fun, guess I forgot you can use that tail like a third arm." She sighed.

"You still caught me by surprise," Adachi admitted, the two starting to walk off the field together, "Maybe next year huh?"

"Yeah, next year." She nodded with a smile, having no hard feelings about the loss. She'd realized from the beginning that unless he really threw the match she didn't have much of a chance to beat him... And that was okay.

 **. . .**

Following the match with Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami, a total shut out putting Tokoyami in the next round, it was time for Kirishima to step into the ring. This was another match Adachi planned on watching closely, because he knew he had to figure out her Quirk and a way through it. If she were to defeat Kirishima, and then Bakugou he'd be stuck fighting her...

Assuming he could defeat Dark Shadow and Tokoyami.

"So what do you think?" Adachi asked Midoriya as he sat down beside him.

"About her?" The green haired boy asked, "To be honest, I'm not sure... I don't know much about those in class 1-B."

"Good, we're both clueless." He chuckled lightly, "Whelp, fingers crossed for Kirishima."

 **"From Hero Course Class 1-A! We have a Passionate Manly fighter made of ROCK!"** Present Mic announced, **"Eijiro Kirishima!"**

"Dammit even my intro was the same as Tetsutetsu's..." The boy lamented, clenching a fist tightly before returning focus to the girl before him. She was grinning like usual, and held herself in a confident stance.

 **"Also from the Hero Course! Coming to you from Class 1-B! It's the fifth student to make it in on recommendation, RINSUKE RYOU!"**

"Lets both do our best okay!?" She called out to him, voice friendly as ever as the giant of a woman waved to him.

"I wouldn't want anything less!" Kirishima called out back to her with a grin.

 **"BEGIN!"**

Instantly Kirishima hardened his body and began charging forward, "COME ON!"

"So intense!" Ryou gasped as he charged, her face lighting up with a big grin, "Alright, YEAH!" She charged forward to meet him, pulling back her fist at the same time he was.

Both fighters threw their hands forward, meeting knuckle to knuckle in the center of the arena. Kirishima smirked as he watched her wince in pain a bit from the impact, before pulling back his fist and throwing another punch. But she matched the attack again, striking him knuckle to knuckle once more. He could see the skin breaking a bit on her hands, and he felt bad for a second as he pulled his hands back. Since she'd taken the attacks head on, he assumed her Quirk was also some kind of hardening but-

"Hey!" She yelled suddenly, as if noticing his reservation, "Don't you dare stop! Keep FIGHTING!" She ordered, jumping suddenly, springing into the air with a burst of force rising high above the arena floor startling everyone, "COME ON!" As she flew, her body was faintly glowing, veins running through her arms and legs were glimmering through her skin as she moved!

"Wh-What the hell..." He muttered, raising his hands to block the incoming attack as Ryou dived on him feet first intending to deliver a kick. On impact, a powerful shockwave was unleashed that shook the boys arms making his body tremble. His feet dug into the arena floor, as he stared up at her, "This power..."

"Where did that fire go!?" She demanded, backflipping away and landing on her feet effortlessly, "Fight!" Ryou cried out, running at him again.

Kirishima shook off his initial shock and braced himself, _"What am I doing!? Stop hesitating Kirishima and kick some ass!"_ He clenched his fists tightly and charged her once again, "HRAAAAH!"

Ryou didn't try blocking or dodging, both students punching each other right in the jaw. Both of them recoiling as well, and Kirishima was surprised by how much he actually felt the impact even through his hardened skin. Ryou herself was bleeding from the cheek, wincing in pain but she suddenly reached out and grabbed Kirishima by the wrist before he could get out of range! Yanking him forward hard, she slammed her forehead against his own.

And Kirishima definitely felt that, "Dammit!" He gasped, staggering back as the hardened skin on his forehead cracked, blood tricking down, "A-Are you crazy? My body is as hard as a rock how are you- GAH!" His eyes bulged, as Ryou slammed him in the stomach with a lariat, the blow utterly shattering his defenses.

"You hit hard! That was fun, sorry!" She said quickly, before applying force and following through with the attack. A gust of wind followed her swing, as Kirishima was went flying out of the ring, landing in the grass and barely moving, "But you're not the one I'm looking for..."

"Kirishima has been knocked out! Ryou will advance!" Midnight announced, as cheers filled the stadium.

Up in the stands, Adachi watched in fear as Kirishima collapsed, a few bots coming out with a stretcher to carry him away to Recovery Girl, "Kirishima was... Beaten so easily?"

"That girl," Midoriya muttered, going over what he'd seen, "She punched right through his hardening... She must have some kind of augmentation, or super strength... Its the only way it makes sense right?"

Adachi nodded, "R-Right..." He answered, looking back down at the field as he swallowed nervously, _"That girl is strong, whatever her Quirk is..."  
_


	15. Rinsuke Ryou, The Unstoppable Force

**Heyooo everyone! Sorry to drop this on you guys, but I accidentally uploaded the wrong version of this chapter earlier XD Basically the version where I hadn't quite decided on Ryou's power, that's what I get for keeping multiple files with similar names lol Anyways! Only a few lines were changed so it isn't that big of a deal just effects battles to come so I'm reuploading it. The only things that changed were a few lines during the fight with Bakugou!**

* * *

The Festival only got more hectic from there, and perhaps a bit darker than anyone had anticipated. Adachi went to see Kirishima along with Ashido, but recovering girl had him in intensive care for the moment and wouldn't allow anyone inside, apparently that last attack had practically crushed his ribs even through his hardening. So with heavy hearts and too many questions to count, they returned to the stands to watch the festival continue.

First, came the heart wrenching battle between Uraraka and Bakugou. It was desperate, and one sided. Despite her best efforts, he batted her aside at every turn. Even in the end her final gambit gained her no ground, and she collapsed from exhaustion and overuse of her Quirk before the battle could continue.

Next came the match between Midoriya and Todoroki. A collision of super powers as Midoriya unleashed his insane Quirk finally. Terribly injuring himself as he fended off Todoroki's ice attacks. As the battle raged, Midoriya kept egging on Todoroki, trying to convince him to use his fathers power. And at some point, he snapped. The child of Endeavor unleashed his immense strength, and in a final test of power the two collided in the center of the ring even as the teachers tried to intervene. The entire ring was blown to pieces by the resounding explosion.

But as the dust cleared, Todoroki stood victorious...

While a short break was in effect so Cementos could fix the ring, Adachi got up with Uraraka, Asui, Mineta to go check on Midoriya who'd already been delivered to Recovery Girl. The five students walked together towards Recovery Girls office, though Adachi was more concerned with seeing Kirishima than Midoriya, which was why he was happy to see the boy exiting the office as they arrived.

"Hey guys," He waved at them, "I missed a few matches huh, bummer." He sighed scratching the back of his head.

"Are you feeling better? _ribbit,_ " Asui asked, tapping a finger to her cheek, "Ashido said your ribs were busted up."

"Yeah, Recovery Girl got me all patched up," Kirishima assured, "You guys should probably get in their quick if you wanna talk to Midoriya, it sounds like the old lady is getting him ready for surgery or something."

"Right, thanks." Uraraka nodded, walking past with the others and stepping into her office.

Adachi remained behind, turning and walking slowly with Kirishima as they returned to their seats, "Sorry you got knocked out of the tournament so early..." Adachi finally said, knowing Kirishima wanted to show off more than any of them.

"Yeah, kinda sucks," He shrugged with a sigh, "But hey, you can still win it right?"

Adachi laughed nervously, "You think so? Because I've still gotta get through Tokoyami, and then either Bakugou or the girl who took you down." He reminded, not at all liking his chances.

"Yeah... About that," Kirishima stopped for a moment, looking towards him, "That girl, I'm sure you've already guessed her Quirk is some kind of Augmentation right?"

Adachi nodded his head in response, "Yeah, Midoriya figured that out pretty quick."

"Well, whatever her real power is, I think she was holding back against me." Kirishima said calmly.

Adachi blinked in surprise, "Holding back? What do you mean? How do you know?"

"Because you and I have sparred before," Kirishima smirked lightly, "I know what it feels like when someone is holding back... But also, it seemed like she was just getting stronger as we fought, like she kept raising her physical strength until her blows were effective enough to break my hardening, and then she ended it."

"So she's stronger than I thought, great." Adachi sighed, slumping his shoulders, "And here I thought this would be easy." He rolled his eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"There's something else," The red haired boy added, "She said something, I just barely heard it before I passed out..." He explained, looking Adachi in the eyes, "You're not the one I'm looking for."

Adachi felt a strange chill run down his spine, like his animal instincts were trying to tell him something, "What... What is that supposed to mean?"

"I have no idea," Kirishima replied, shaking his head, "But what I _do_ know is, you better be ready, and don't hold anything back in your next matches, because I want to see you at the top, and I want to see you go all out... So don't let me and Ashido down alright?"

Adachi blushed lightly, Kirishima's assurance and confidence in him was more than he had in himself, "I... I won't, I'll do my best!"

 **. . .**

Iida versus Shiozaki was over in a flash, the boy using his recripro burst to avoid her attacks and shove her out of the ring in mere seconds. And with them out of the way it was time for Adachi's second match.

The boy had his eyes locked on Tokoyami as they both stepped into the ring, _"He tried to shove out Yaoyorozu the moment the match started... I have to brace myself, I'll have to transform... Or maybe I should retain human form so I can be more mobile?"_ He questioned, trying to think of a way around Dark Shadow.

 **"You've seen him! You love those solid blue scales! Its KAIJI ADACHI!"**

 _"If I can just get past Dark Shadow, taking down Tokoyami shouldn't be that hard,"_ He reasoned, forming scales and claws along his arms, _"I've never actually seen him fight, he usually lets Dark Shadow do all the work... Maybe that's the key?"_

 **"He seems like an unstoppable force alongside Dark Shadow, lets see if he can take another fast win! Its FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI!"**

 _"This'll be harder than my match with Ashido, but I've got to advance!"_

 **"BEGIN!"**

"Go Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami wasted no time, his creature unleashed in an instant as it raced towards him.

"HE'S MINE!" The beast hissed, claws at the ready to strike.

But Adachi didn't hesitate, he began running forward to meet the creature with his hands at the ready, _"I doubt I can use Dragon Stance against this thing, so I just need to match its attacks until I get an opening!"_ He decided, clenching his teeth as his swung his clawed hand forward, "HRAAAH!" He cried out, his own claws clashing with Dark Shadows. The beast following up with another clawed swing that Adachi matched as well! Sparks flying between them as they clashed.

 **"For the first time today someone is holding their ground against Dark Shadow! Could Tokoyami have met his match or is Adachi just dragging this out!?"**

Present Mic was hyping up the crowd, but Adachi was hardly paying attention to them. As he began trading blows with Dark Shadow, claws and scales colliding as he struggled to find some kind of opening. But as it continued, Adachi realized he'd forgotten to take into account something vital about fighting this creature. Dark Shadow didn't get tired, as far as he'd seen, but with every swing his arms were getting battered around and the shock of impact was starting to show.

 _"Dammit! Tokoyami knows how to use this thing I can't find a single opening!"_ He realized, gritting his teeth, starting to backstep in an effort to gain some distance and rethink his strategy.

 **"What's this!? It seems that Adachi is starting to give up ground!"**

But Dark Shadow was relentless, almost seemingly swell larger as he slashed down at Adachi. The boy blocked it by raise his left arm, but as the shadow creature pounded away at his defenses mid retreat he finally lost his footing and was sent tumbling. His body rolling across the stone floor until he dug in his claws to slide himself to a halt and prevent rolling right out of bounds.

"I won't give up..." Adachi muttered, rising back to his feet, _"Don't hold anything back, blast right through that bird and take down Tokoyami!"_

"Dark Shadow finish it! Knock him out of bounds!" Tokoyami commanded with a sweep of his hand.

"On it!" He responded, speeding towards the boy.

 _"I can't beat Dark Shadow head on, not like this,"_ Adachi decided, breaking into a run for Dark Shadow once more, _"But I can win!"_ After a few steps, Adachi leapt into the air, "GRAAAAH!" He roared, transforming mid flight to his second stage, his roar echoing louder than before and ringing throughout the stadium.

"Catch him out of the air!" Tokoyami commanded swiftly, hoping to restrain him.

 _"Hope you don't mind Ojirou!"_ Adachi thought as Dark Shadow raced towards him, _"But I'm gonna borrow one of your moves!"_ Using his momentum, Adachi flipped forward, putting as much force into his swing as could, before slamming his tail down right on Dark Shadow.

"Gwaaah!" The creature howled, as Adachi's powerful tail slammed it into the stadium floor hard enough to break through the stone creating an explosion of dust.

"No Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami gasped, both his Shadow and Adachi vanishing in the cloud.

But a split second later Adachi blasted out of the cloud in full sprint, "TOKOYAMI!" He roared out at the boy, watching him visibly flinch as Adachi's eyes burned into him.

"D-Dark Shadow! TO ME!" He cried out, the creature racing out of the cloud behind Adachi trying to catch up to him.

 _"I'm sorry Tokoyami!"_ Adachi thought as he neared his target, using his tail to spring forward to gain some ground away from the approaching shadow, _"But I have to keep advancing!"_

He landed right in front of Tokoyami, the boy paralyzed in hesitation. Without waiting for his shadow to reach them, Adachi lunged forward with an open palm strike to Tokoyami's chest. The boy hadn't moved since the match had started when he entered the ring so he was still plenty close to the edge, and the blow carried more than enough force to send him flying right out of bounds!

"Tokoyami is out of bounds! Adachi is the winner!"

The boy sighed in relief, shrinking down to human form as he stepped out of the arena and over to Tokoyami to offer him a hand. Dark Shadow slinking past him and returning to his hosts side, "Hey, need a hand?" He asked with a small smile.

Tokoyami smirked up at him, "Thank you..." Taking his hand and allowing himself to be pulled up, "I have to say, fighting you has certainly taught me a crucial flaw in my current technique... And I appreciate knowing that."

Adachi laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head, "Yeah well, you might have had me if I'd botched that flip, come on lets get back up to our seats."

The bird faced boy nodded, the two walking out of the arena together to return to the seats above while Cementos repaired the ring from Adachi's attack. As they walked off however, Adachi's thoughts were turning quickly to the upcoming match. It was time to see what this girl was really made of, and if Bakugou could take her down...

"Worried about your next opponent?" Tokoyami asked simply as they went, as if reading his tension.

Adachi sighed lightly, "Yeah, a little... No matter which one of them it is, I'm going to be in for one hell of a fight."

"I certainly don't envy you."

 **. . .**

 **"Rings all fixed up so lets keep this party going!"** Present Mic called out excitedly, as both new combatants stepped into the ring, **"He's been a front runner throughout the entire festival, his brutality is only matched by his explosive power! IT'S KATSUKI BAKUGOU!"**

"I've never seen Kacchan look so intense before," Midoriya muttered, watching them both closely, "He must be on guard... Which makes sense, we hardly know anything about this girls Quirk but she was able to punch right through Kirishima's hardening!"

 **"And his opponent! A girl with a powerful Quirk who won her first match with overwhelming force, RINSUKE RYOU!"**

"Whatever the case," Adachi replied, arms crossed as he watched, "I've got to learn everything I can from this match... About both of them."

 **"BEGIN!"**

"Lets GOOOOO!" Ryou roared, running towards him immediately. In full sprint with her fists drawn back.

"Tch, idiot," Bakugou narrowed his eyes, raising a hand and waiting for her to get closer. The moment he judged she was in range, he fired an explosive wave to blow her back just like he'd done against Uraraka.

"Ha! I'm not gonna fall for that!" She declared, suddenly moving faster and springing off her heels, jumping to his flank with inhuman speed and dodging the blast. She jumped forward, just as he was turning to aim at her, "HYAAAH!" She swung one of her legs, aiming right for his head as it cut through the air with the same kind of force and speed one of Iida's kicks carried. But Bakugou ducked under it with an almost inhuman reaction speed! "What!?"

Bakugou grabbed her by the leg, holding her in place as he raised his hand, "You're fast, but not fast enough!" He sneered, before unleashing blast after blast peppering her with flames and smoke.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" She yelped, the blasts stinging and burning. Ryou rolled while using her other leg to kick at him, forcing Bakugou to let go before she started springing back on her hands, landing on her feet and staring at him, "Geez you're fast!" She laughed lightly, ignoring her slightly tattered clothes and multiple little burns, "That reaction time is crazy!"

"Don't give yourself so much credit," He scoffed in response, "I could have dodged an attack much faster than that, you're not nearly as quick as you think."

"Oh really?" Ryou blinked, tilting her head, "That's awesome! I guess that means I can kick it up a notch!" She grinned suddenly, excitement flickering in her eyes, "Maybe you're the one I'm looking for!" She clenched her fists, muscles trembling as her veins began to glow through her skin lining her body with almost glowing blue strands, "Oooh that's the stuff... Now, lets continue!"

Bakugou's eyes widened, barely having enough time to react as she blasted forward off her heels. The floor tearing up behind her as she closed the distance between them much faster than before and threw a punch. Thinking fast, he blasted himself into the air by throwing his hands downward, narrowing his eyes and baring his teeth in a twisted grin, "DIE!" Unloading a barrage of explosions down on her.

"Aagh! Stop that!" She cried out in response, suddenly jumping straight up through his explosions.

"GAH!" Bakugou gagged, nearly losing his lunch as she drove her head right into his gut. Wincing in pain, he threw an elbow right at the back of her head, making her break away before blasting himself through the air and landing on the far side of the ring, "D-Dammit..." He growled, clenching his ribs, _"I think she might have cracked a few ribs... Her Quirk is augmentation, something to enhance her muscles no doubt, but how long can she keep it up?"_

Ryou meanwhile landed on her butt, rubbing the back of her head, "Oooow that smarts!" She whimpered, getting up slowly before turning back around to face him, "You really are amazing! Even after first release you're faster than me!"

Adachi quirked an eyebrow up in the stands, "First release... What is she talking about?"

"Releasing more energy." Midoriya realized, jotting down the notes quickly, "That must be how she keeps from hurting herself... But how much can she release before that power drains too much stamina or tears muscles?"

Bakugou spat on the ground, "So you can augment your body, that's a pretty boring Quirk, but how long can your muscles handle it huh?" He asked, hands at the ready before he smirked wickedly, "Let's continue!"

"Yay!" She beamed, charging him once again, another blunt and straightforward attack.

"All that power, wasted on an idiot like you!" Bakugou shouted, throwing both hands forward, "NOW DIE!" The arena erupted in explosive fire, as Bakugou unleashed the same massive attack he'd used to blow away Uraraka's final gambit. A massive blast that covered most of the ring, and engulfed Ryou, an attempt to blow her clear out of the ring.

"HYAAH!"

 ***SLAM***

Bakugou's face hit the floor of the ring, as Ryou's boot came down from above in a devastating axe kick slamming his head downward, "Yes! I got you!" She beamed, looking no worse for wear from the blast, "I saw how you jumped over me before, so I jumped over your explosion!" Ryou laughed, "Good thing I did to! That would have really hurt! You're super strong, no wonder you're so confident!"

If she was expecting a reaction, she certainly got one. Bakugou's eyes shot right back open as he faced the floor, anger spreading across his face, "Don't you DARE PATRONIZE ME!" He exploded, aiming both hands upward right underneath her, "If you're stupid enough to mock me and leave yourself completely open then FINE!"

Midnight's eyes widened, "Bakugou DON'T!"

The thunderous explosion blocked out all other protests, as Bakugou fired off another massive blast this time at point blank range. His anger had certainly gotten the better of him, as Ryou disappeared within the blast cloud. From that distance, there was no way she could have dodged. Bakugou had acted out in frustration, but he didn't back down from his decision, as smoke left her covered for a moment, he went on in anger after rising to his feet.

"You wanna run your mouth about how great I am instead or how much fun you're having instead of fighting? Then you deserve to lose!" Bakugou shouted, "You're an idiot for not just knocking me out when you had the cha-

"KACCHAN ABOVE YOU!" Midoriya rose from his seat crying out.

His eyes darted upward, in a brief instant he saw her form falling to the ground right in front of him before- "GAH!"

The remaining smoke was expelled in an instant, Ryou slamming Bakugou with her forearm for a super powered lariat attack just like she'd used to finish Kirishima. The blow had him doubled over her arm, her limb being the only thing holding him up from falling flat on his face. Ryou's body itself was devastated, her top entirely shredded leaving her in only the sports bra underneath while her pants had been reduced to tattered shorts. Her skin was covered in bad burns from his explosive attacks. Though, it did well to show off her absolutely chiseled muscles.

"You're absolutely right Bakugou! Talk is cheap, actions are what matter, I'm sorry for wasting your time." She said with a friendly smile, before following through with her blow and throwing him clear out of the ring. The glowing lines running throughout her body fading away.

"Bakugou has been knocked out of bounds!" Midnight announced, "Rinsuke Ryou will advance!"

"K-Kacchan he... Lost?" Like most everyone in class 1-A's section, Midoriya was in shock.

Adachi himself was still processing what just happened, _"Super strong... Incredibly fast... How the hell am I going to-_ _"_ He shook his head, trying to put away his doubts, "I... I can beat her, I have to win." He decided, looking down at his hands that were clenching tightly, shaking, "Still... She's so strong."

"Come on Adachi!" Ashido shouted, jumping out of her seat, "Win it for Kirishima! She's the one who knocked him out right? Take her down!"

"She's amazing, but so are you." Kirishima chimed in with a nod and a grin.

"Yeah," Midoriya smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "And whenever you're scared or nervous, just try to handle it by smiling... All Might said that once, and he isn't wrong." Midoriya assured, "Sometimes, smiling is the best way to handle things when it gets bad."

Adachi's eyes slowly drifted back up into the arena, Ryou was waving to people as she passed through the gates at the other side, "Maybe you're right..."

 _"She sure does smile a lot..."_


	16. Stop Holding Back! Rinsuke Unleashed!

**Straps yourselves in folks we've got two massive chapters this weekend tying up the remainder of the Sports Festival!**

 **Vedahzi: OP? Nah, you'll learn her power in this chapter, so I won't say much, but its a pretty straightforward Quirk. Also 8/10 is pretty good, thanks :D**

 **weslyscraepen: I'm glad you like her! It took me a lot of time to decide exactly how and who I wanted her to be.**

* * *

 **"And with that powerful finish we've got our final four!"** Present Mic announced, the screens around the stadium lighting up to show the faces of Todoroki, Iida, Adachi and Ryou, **"We'll take ANOTHER short break to repair the arena, Cemetoss is certainly getting a workout today!"**

Ryou was smiling and waving as she stepped out of the arena following her match with Bakugou, passing through into the hall and out of sight. After a few more minutes of walking, she staggered forward gripping her sides. Her smile vanishing from her face as she clenched her body, muscles trembling in response to the burns and pain all over.

 _"I-I've got to... Get to Recovery Girl..."_ She thought, taking a few slow steps forward before her legs seemed to give out and she started leaning towards a fall.

"I've got you," Came a familiar deep voice, "Figured you wouldn't make it too far on your own, that was reckless Young Ryou." All Might said, holding her up against his muscular frame as he began guiding her down the hall towards Recovery Girls temporary office.

"H-Hi All Might," She smiled brightly up at him, as if she'd completely forgotten about the pain, "Its good to see you again, h-have you been enjoying the tournament?"

All Might sighed heavily as he helped her to the office, shaking his head, "You haven't changed a bit Rinsuke..."

The tone in his voice made her smile falter, and she looked away like a child who'd been scolded, "I'm sorry..."

He didn't respond until they reached the doors to her office, Recovery Girl seemed to be waiting and helped her into a bed, Bakugou was unconscious nearby on another bed after being brought in by the bots. The older woman looking down at Ryou sadly as she got to work healing up her burns, "You've been performing well today..." All Might finally spoke, "You've impressed a lot of people with your debut."

"Really?" She asked with a smile returning, "D-Did I impress you?" She hesitated to ask, wincing a little as Recovery Girl mended her body.

All Might chuckled at that, "I already knew what you were capable of, that's why I gave you a recommendation." He answered with a smile, before placing a hand on her shoulder, "But even so... You are doing great, you've come into your own quite well these past few years."

Her eyes practically sparkled when he spoke, "R-Really!?" Like a kid opening up her birthday presents, "We should get together sometime after school! Spar a little, I can show you how much control I have now!"

All Might hesitated momentarily, "That is... Maybe not a good idea, my duties as a teacher keep me quite busy." He answered, as Recovery Girl finished healing her up.

Her smile almost vanished before returning, "R-Right of course, you're really busy... A-Anyways, I'm gonna go join the others... Am I good to go?"

Recovery Girl nodded, "Yes, eat something quickly and drink a bit of water and you should be alright for your next match." She assured.

"Okay, thank you." She said quickly, getting up and heading out before All Might had a chance to say more to her, but he didn't make a move to stop her anyways.

As she vanished, All Might released another heavy sigh and shrunk down to his true form, "That kid, if I hadn't seen it for myself I would never know..."

Recovery Girl leaned back in her chair, shaking her head, "The more I watch her, the more I understand why you didn't choose her..."

"UA has been helping her, but it won't change what happened..." All Might replied grimly, turning and heading for the door, "I wish I could help her more, but she's doing well enough now... If she could just learn to trust herself."

"You did a good thing for her."

"Maybe, but she needs more than just me."

 **. . .**

Adachi was making his way to the waiting area, Iida had stepped into the ring with Todoroki so he decide to get a moment alone to think about his next match while they had their own. He was just turning the hall to the waiting area when he spotted his opponent, Ryou, stepping into the opposite waiting room. It made him hesitate for a moment, before he swallowed his fear and headed for her door.

 _"Why am I thinking about this like I'm stepping into a death match?"_ He wondered as he approached the door, _"Its not like anything bad happens if I lose, sure I want to win, but I've already made it so much further than I thought I would be able to without using all my power... And Ryou seems like such a nice person, maybe I've been making myself tense for nothing here?"_ He shook his head briefly as he stopped at the door, before taking a deep breath and pushing the door open, "Excuse me?"

"Huh?" His eyes widened as she turned and looked at him, her quickly changing face wasn't fast enough to hide the sheer desperation and fear it had been displaying seconds ago, "O-Oh uh, you're my next opponent right? Hi!" She greeted, her big grin returning in an instant.

 _"What... What was that?"_ He wondered, "Hey uh... I just wanted to see you before the match... Are you okay?" Adachi asked, "Your eyes... You looked a little-"

"What!? Uh no no no I'm fine!" Ryou assured, quickly rubbing her eyes and giving her cheeks a light slap, "Just nerves! Nothing to worry about hahah!"

Adachi was not convinced in the slightest, and now more confused than ever, "Uh... Alright," He replied suspiciously, "Anyways... I just wanted to say, I don't know... I guess, good luck and no hard feelings?" He shrugged, offering her a hand with a small smile, _"Maybe it was a mistake to come here..."_

She looked down at his hand, before nodding and grabbing a hold of it with her own startling Adachi with the sensation of her grip, "Right! Let's both do our best out there!" Before releasing his hand quickly.

 _"Her handshake was..."_ He looked down at his hand briefly without meaning to, having expected it to be incredibly firm, with a tight grip, _"So gentle..."_ Before shaking it off and realizing that probably looked weird, "Alright, well I'll leave you alone now." Adachi said quickly, turning around to leave.

"Wait!" She blurted out suddenly, making him pause and turn halfway back around to look at her, "You... You're the Kaiji Adachi that got hurt in the USJ attack right?"

He blinked in surprise, not realizing he had reputation now, "Uh, the one and only I guess, why?"

"I heard you got hurt really bad by those villains," She explained, her grin returning to a normal smile, "People were saying that you might end up leaving the school or be traumatized or something, but you're here! And that's awesome," Ryou added quickly with a laugh, "I'm... I'm really excited to fight you! Because you don't give up! You kept smiling and kept going! I want to see that in the ring!" She declared with intensity, clenching her fists with excitement.

The way she was talking to him now, the sparkle in her eyes... "Actually, I didn't do a whole lot of smiling at the USJ," Adachi answered, looking away slowly as he remembered it, "Really, I was scared, desperate, and I cried, even after it was over." He admitted without shame, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ryou blinked, her smile wavering briefly, thinking she had said something wrong, "O-Oh... Sorry I-"

"Can I ask you something?" Adachi interrupted, feeling like he had to ask this now or he might never get the chance, "What did you mean earlier, in your other matches when you said, _You're not the one I'm looking for_?" Adachi asked, "I mean, what, or who, are you looking for?" _  
_

Her smile seemed to vanish completely, as she stared down at him, "I-" She stopped herself, faint smile returning as she sighed, lowering her head, "Beat me, and I'll tell you."

Adachi blinked in surprise at that response. Compared to how she spoke with everyone else today, and how she'd behaved around others before now it was so... Earnest. After a moments hesitation, Adachi nodded his head with a smile, "That was my plan anyways, so, deal."

 **. . .**

 **"Time for the last match of the Semi Finals!"** Present Mic shouted with excitement over the speakers, the crowd amped up as ever, **"Whoever wins this match will go on to face Todoroki in the FINAL MATCH! Hold onto your seats everyone because we've got two all stars stepping into the ring!"**

Shisui watched from the crowd, nervously eyeing her son as he stepped up into the ring on the far side, "Come on Kaiji, you've got this!"

 **"Its another Battle of Hero Classes! We've got Kaiji Adachi from Class 1-A Versus the front runner from Class 1-B Rinsuke Ryou!"**

In the ring, Adachi stared right across at his opponent, _"Alright, this is it, I've got to pay attention and learn whatever I can about her Quirk to find a way to beat her!"_

 **"BEGIN!"**

Both students took off at a dead sprint towards one another, _"I've seen her beat down others with brute force, so I'll try speed first!"_

When they met in the center, she threw her fist forward as if expecting another bloody knuckle brawl like she'd had with Kirishima. But Adachi didn't entertain that idea, taking Dragon stance he redirected her swing with one swift jab at the wrist, while driving his open palm forward into her gut, "Gah!" She gasped in surprise, the force behind the attack knocking the wind out of her.

Adachi followed up, by sweeping low with one leg and taking hers right out from under her feet. But Ryou stopped herself from hitting the ground with one hand, springing off of it and landing on her feet a short distance back, watching Adachi with a smirk, "You surprised me! I didn't expect an actual technique after what I've seen today!"

Adachi nodded in response with a proud smirk, "I've only showed off my brute strength in matches so far, but I'm even more skilled fighting in this form."

"That's awesome!" Ryou laughed lightly, "But lets see if you can handle me, after I amp it up a little!" She declared, clenching her fists tightly as the familiar blue lines highlighting her veins began to course through her body, "First release!" She sprung forward off her heels, crossing the distance between them quicker than Adachi had expected, with one fist cocked back, "See if you can still dodge me now!"

Adachi raised both his arms in a cross block, taking her punch head on sent a shock through his entire body. He grit his teeth to hold his ground, before she grabbed a hold of his arm yanking him forward and into a vicious headbutt. But Adachi braced himself, forming scales over his forehead to absorb some of impact. It still hurt like hell, but less than it might have otherwise.

Before she could add more to the attack, Adachi threw a knee upward right into her stomach making her gag and release him. The boy then spun around, delivering a kick to the side of her head as she was doubled over before jumping a few steps back and returning to dragon stance, _"Dammit... She picked up speed but, only in her charge? That doesn't make any-"_ Something seemed to click in his head, _"Of course, her muscles are augmented, she's just boosting herself on the first step! And if that's the case..."_

"Sorry Adachi, but I don't think you're the one either, this was fun though!" She said, before launching herself at him again. This time intent on landing that same crushing lariat that sent Kirishima and Bakugou out of the ring.

Acting fast, Adachi braced himself forming scales along his arms. He knew she was going for his ribs, as she had done before, so he lowered his arms and took the attack head on. He felt like his arms might break on the impact, cringing in pain as he dug in his heels to avoid before pushed back, "Not this time!" He cried out, grabbing a hold of her before she could get clear, turning and throwing her over his shoulder hard slamming her into the arena floor, _"I was right, her muscles being amped up doesn't let her move faster, just spring herself forward and hit harder... But if she crosses that distance without touching the ground it means she can't redirect herself mid air!"_

Ryou bounced off the arena floor, slightly stunned by his counter, as she tried to process what had happened, _"He just... Threw me? Is he actually that fast? Or was he predicting my movement!?"_ She questioned, rolling out of the way and jumping back to her feet, catching her breath, "Impressive, and here I thought I'd be advancing already... But you're really good at this!" Ryou laughed excitedly, "Unfortunately, I have to give you some bad news," She explained, still grinning from ear to ear, "You will NEVER, defeat me in that form, or the other one you've been showing off today." As she placed her hands on her hips.

"Is that right?" Adachi quirked an eyebrow, "What makes you so sure? I feel like I'm doing alright so far." He admitted, _"They way she talks about others... Does she really think she's that much better?"_ His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Maybe now, but once I do this," Rinsuke grit her teeth, clenching her fists tightly as her body began to shake. Her veins pulsing with more light before suddenly a gust of wind was released seemingly out of nowhere, billowing around her body for a brief moment before fading away, "Second Release..." She released a deep breath, staring at him with faintly glowing eyes, "I give you, 5 seconds before I throw you out of this ring, starting..."

Adachi's eyes widened, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight up as every animal instinct told him he needed to move.

"NOW!"

"GAAAH!" Adachi gasped, as a fist buried itself in his stomach, making him double over her outstretched arm. He'd tried to raise his arms in time, but she was too fast for him to block.

"Hmm, seems I miscalculated," Ryou sighed lightly, shaking her head, "Sorry Adachi, but you most certainly," Anger flickered in the boys eyes as she began to say the words, "Are not the one I am-"

"Shut UP!" He threw his head upward suddenly, catching her off guard with his ability to still move, and slammed her mouth shut with the back of his head. The girl stumbled back, holding her chin and wincing in pain as Adachi rose back to full height, _"Just like Bakugou and Kirishima, I can feel my ribs, at least a few of them are cracked or broken..."_ He realized, glaring daggers at her, "Stop saying that!" He shouted at her in frustration, "Kirishima, and Bakugou both gave their all in their matches with you! So don't you dare make it sound like they weren't good enough Ryou!"

The girl wiped her bloody lip, her smile had faded as Adachi barked at her, "You misunderstand, I'm not saying they aren't good enough... In fact, both of them have amazing Quirks, and tenacity, its just that I-"

"You held back against them," Adachi cut her off, having put the pieces together finally based on what Kirishima had told him before, "For some reason, you held back against them..." Ryou was looking at him like he'd caught her committing a crime, "That's right, I figured it out... You said, First Release, and then Second Release, isn't that right?" He demanded, but didn't bother waiting for a response, "Just how many "Releases" can you go through? And why haven't you gone through all of them Huh!?"

Ryou took a step back, surprised by the boys ferocity, fear showing in her eyes, "I-I just... I didn't want to hurt any-"

"Liar!" Adachi cut her off, "If you didn't want to hurt anyone, you wouldn't be breaking ribs... This is about control, and your fear of your own power!" He was grasping at straws, based purely on what he'd seen of her behavior, and what he himself had gone through up until the USJ. But based on the look she gave him in the waiting room, and the one she was giving him as he spoke now, Adachi was right on the money.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Ryou eyes sharpened in a way he hadn't seen today, a nerve had been stricken, "It isn't safe... If I lose control..." She grit her teeth, shaking it off and trying to stay focused as she glared at him, "Just shut up! You don't know me so just leave it alone and either fight or GET OUT OF THE RING!" As she shouted, a wave of force was released from her body once more.

Up in the stands, All Might was beginning to sweat as he watched, _"Adachi... You are playing a dangerous game, and you don't even know the stakes... If she loses control here-"_

"Relax," Nezu assured, as if reading his thoughts, "Midnight is on standby, as is Cementoss, if things get out of hand."

All Might nodded slowly, returning his focus to the ring below.

"Don't know you?" Adachi scoffed, not buying it for a second, "I _was_ you! I spent years hiding my real power because I was afraid I couldn't control it! But you know what Ryou!?" He remembered what his teacher had told him, after their very first class together, "If you don't trust yourself, how can you expect your comrades to trust you? Or the people you're trying to save!?"

Rinsuke clenched her fists, "Th-That's-"

"You're either gonna learn control, or you're gonna be a ticking time bomb!" Adachi accused, holding his stance, "You came to this school to be a Hero, so work harder, stop being afraid of that power and OWN IT!"

"SHUT UP!" Rinsuke roared, charging him again with the same insane speed as before, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye. But Adachi had already begun to change, reaching his Hybrid form and blocking her attack, though it still rattled his bones. As the boy locked eyes with her, Ryou continued, "You don't know anything! Its not like I can just go around projecting the fact that I'm a walking talking force of destruction! A MONSTER!"

"Monster!?" Adachi stifled a laugh, spinning around and broadsiding her with his tail, sending her sliding back on her heels, "I'll show you a MONSTER!" He'd had enough, even if it did shred his muscles he would show her what a real monster looked like. His eyes and spines began to glow brighter, as his body began to grow rapidly.

Ryou dug in her heels coming to a stop, watching his body warp and shift into something larger, "Th-This is... What are you doing!?"

His growls grew deeper as he swelled in size reaching over ten feet tall. His muscles were strained, he could feel it but they weren't tearing! His eyes glowed brightly and burned into her before he threw back his head, tail slamming the ground behind him, **"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"** His transformation coming to an end with a thunderous roar, the stadium going silent for a moment in response.

 **"In a SHOCKING turn of events Adachi has revealed ANOTHER FORM!"** Present Mic cried out from the announcers booth.

Beside him, Aizawa watched silently, _"Adachi, are you really trying to help Rinsuke? It's true, your situations may be similar... Your heart is in the right place, but you've got no idea how different her life has been."_

In the midst of this silence, Shisui bolted up from her seat, "YEAH! THAT'S MY BOY! KICK HER ASS!" Her voice echoing throughout the stadium as well.

Ryou looked towards the source of the voice, equally in awe for a moment before looking around at everyone then back to Adachi, _"Everyone is... Quiet? Even the pros that are here don't know what to think of him..._ _ _Are they... Afraid of him? But... He's not afraid to..."__

"COME ON ADACHI!" Voices began to rise from Class 1-A's section, Kirishima cheering, "Take her down!"

"YOU CAN DO IT!"

"GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"

"WIN IT FOR BAKUGOU!"

"HEY SHUT UP!"

Their cheering began to spread slowly, the crowd being shaken out of their initial shock from his monstrous appearance by hearing the voices of friends and family cheering him on. Reminding them that he was still just a kid, a hero in training. Their voices began to fill the stadium too, cries echoing out in excitement for the match to continue.

"This is..." Ryou muttered, eyes darting around at everyone, _"They could really still cheer for... A monster like him?"_

 **"Well?"** She stiffened, as Adachi spoke in a low guttural voice, **"See if I'm the one you're looking for now! Stop wasting time, AND HIT ME!"**

Ryou hesitated for a moment, the voice of the beast sending a chill down her spine. Before she blasted forward with inhuman speed springing off one foot, throwing a punch at the dead center of his chest. But on impact, the beast didn't budge, and her eyes widened in shock, "No way..."

 **"Is that it?"** He asked, before raising a hand swinging down at her for a crushing blow.

But she jumped back, dodging the attack before charging right back in, "HYAAAH!" She cried, throwing a roundhouse kick that slammed right into the side of Adachi's face but had no effect. She followed up with several more heavy handed punches, aiming at his chest, face, stomach. Over and over she hit him as hard as she could, but he didn't show any sign of damage! "GAAAH!" She gasped in pain, as Adachi's massive tail slammed her from the flank, sending her flying and rolling across the arena floor.

After sliding to a halt, Ryou jumped back to her feet, body trembling as she shook off the pain and her eyes lit up, "S-So strong... At this rate I won't-"

" **Stop talking and FIGHT!"** Adachi roared, charging at her and raising up one of his massive arms to bring it down on top of her, **"I WANT YOU TO COME AT ME WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT RYOU!**

But she didn't move, hesitating a second too long and forced to brace herself, raising her hands she caught the incoming slam. Wincing in pain as she held his arm in place, the arena floor below her was starting to crumble, "Hnngh! I-I can't..." She was gritting her teeth to try and hold herself in place.

"COME ON RINSUKE!" Her eyes widened suddenly, hearing a voice rising from the Class 1-B section, "I KNOW YOU'VE GOT MORE GUTS THAN THIS!" Tetsutetsu roared.

"Give it everything you've got!"

"Please just do your best!"

Adachi looked up towards the crowd, but kept he pressure on Ryou with his massive arm, **"So what's it going to be Ryou?"** He asked in a low, grumbling voice, **"Keep being afraid of your own power, or believe in yourself, like they do?"**

 _"E-Everyone..."_ Her body crackled with energy suddenly, "Th-Third... RELEASE!" Another pulse of force billowed out around her, blowing throughout the stadium and sending cracks through floor below her. Adachi's eyes widened as he felt her pushing him back. But before he could pull his arm back, she grabbed him by the wrist and turned over with all her might. Lifting Adachi right off his feet and slamming him overhead into the arena floor with the same shoulder throw he himself had used on her earlier! The girls eyes lit up, as she stepped back looking down at her hands, "I did it!" Ryou cheered, laughter filling the air.

" _That smile… That laugh,"_ Adachi struggled to get up slowly, shaking off the jarring impact and staring down at her, " _It's... Completely different than before... How long have you been scared Ryou?... And how much more can you release?"_

Up in the stands, All Might watched the encounter closely, " _Look at her… I've never seen her so excited before."_ As the two engaged once more, Adachi trying his best to deliver crushing blows to his opponent but she dodged with amazing agility and landed hits that carried enough force to shake the ring around them, " _She's been so scared of her own abilities for a long time… She has to stay focused all the time, or she could hurt anyone around her…"_

Adachi was taking every hit like a champ, and he swung at her with reckless abandon. She dodged most of his attacks, but even as she blocked one with her arms her eyes were wide with excitement as she slid back on his heels, "Its... So amazing, I-I don't have to worry I can just... Let it go!"

The two met knuckle to knuckle, Ryou's smaller fist colliding with Adachi's massive clawed one. The girl was grinning from ear to ear, pure elation spread far across her face. The force of their punch created a shockwave around them, cracking the arena floor with each blow. Ryou jumped up, spinning head over heels and delivering a thunderous kick to the top of his head. And he definitely felt it, growling in pain before raising his head just as she jumped off the tip of his snout to gain some distance. He opened his maw as the spikes along his back began to light up, **"HRAAAAAAAAH!"** With the roar came a fiery torrent of blue flames spraying forth in a cone towards his opponent, _"Come on Ryou! I know this isn't everything!"_

The crowd was eating it up, exploding with roars and cheers as the fire was unleashed. Ryou raised her arms, knowing there was only one way to stop the incoming flames from engulfing her, "Final Release!" It was more out of reaction, and she hadn't even stopped to consider what might happen.

Which is exactly why Adachi made her do it.

The light erupted from her body, along with a thunderous wave of force. The flames were blown away with no trouble at all, while Rinsuke landed on her feet, body shaking and pulsing with light flowing through her. Her tuft of hair up top whipping around like it was in a wind tunnel. Adachi watched her, staring down at the young hero and after hearing her words knowing this was really it, **"About damn time..."**

"You... Were you trying to make me do this?" Ryou asked calmly, body feeling like it was on fire. She looked down at her hands, watching them shake as the wind randomly picked up and gusted around her, sparks of lightning flickering every few seconds, "I never thought I'd be able to... Control it like this."

 **"It had to be natural,"** Adachi answered, bracing himself for whatever was about to happen, **"A reaction, not something you had time to think about... But you already knew that didn't you? This is what you were looking for, somebody that would make you go this far without giving you a chance to consider the consequences... That's exactly how I got over my fear as well... Now, lets stop screwing around, and finish this!"** He declared, more than ready to continue as he watched her.

In the stands, Kirishima was on the edge of his seat watching, "Geez, she looks like one of those characters from an old fighter manga, all powered up... So cool."

Midoriya was more nervous than anything as he watched, _"Her power... Its so much like my own, like All Mights... Maybe I should ask him about her?"_

"I'm not really sure what's going to happen next but..." Ryou looked back up from her hands at Adachi, "Thank you." The ring behind her exploded with dust and stone, as she sprung off one foot and launched herself at him.

Adachi had little time to react, or rather none at all, as her fist slammed into the center of his chest, **"Hnngh!"** He growled in pain, the shock of the blow making it through his stern hide. The ring around them shattering on impact from the excess force her body was releasing.

Ryou winced in pain, her knuckles bloodied by the impact with his body and the leg she sprung off of was burning in pain, _"So much power... M-My body can't-"_ She yelped suddenly, as Adachi caught her out of the air before she could land and dodge him. The beast turned and prepared to throw her, intending on sending her flying right out of the ring! "N-No! I won't lose LIKE THIS!"

Adachi lost his grip in an instant, the force being expelled from her body was too much for him to contain and he slid back on his heels, claws shredding what few tiles remained below him. He growled lowly, eyes locking onto her to keep track of where she was knowing with this power if he wasn't careful she might just throw HIM out of the ring! But even as he spotted her, his body began to throb with pain, the strain of this form was starting to outweigh his adrenaline rush, he could feel his insides and they were on fire.

 _"I've got to end this soon, or I'm done for!"_ Adachi realized, knowing his chances against her were slim to none with this new power if he reverted to human form.

"HAAAAAAH!" Ryou charged him once more, leaping forward through the air to deliver another thunderous blow. The first layer of the arena floor was gone now from their battle, nothing but shattered stone remained for their footing, "MEGATON!" She cocked back her fist, wind and electricity seeming to swirl around it, "PUNCH!"

Another blow to the center of the chest, the impact itself sent Ryou flying back as well while Adachi was thrown towards the edge of the ring. An explosion in the middle of the ring where they met sent dust and stone flying, leaving behind a crater and a pillar of dust obscuring much of the ring from view.

 **"Oh come on how many times is this ring gonna be destroyed today Huh!?"** Present Mic demanded, voice echoing over the speakers as they waited for the dust to clear, **"How am I supposed to commentate what I can't see!?"**

Adachi slowly opened his eyes, wincing in pain as he felt like he'd been bit by a truck. His entire body was sore, as he slowly pulled himself out of the rubble. He looked down around him, noting that he was definitely still in the ring or at least what was left of it, but his chest felt like it had been blown inward. Scales were chipped and broken away around the impact point, the center of his chest now discolored and bruised, his breathing labored.

 **"Ngh! D-Dammit..."** Adachi growled, stumbling forward to one knee. He knew that any second now, he'd change back to human form, and this match would be over. Looking up, towards where his opponent had landed, he tried to think of something... Anything, that would keep him in this.

Ryou was rising to her feet as well, panting for breath and gripping her right arm, the one she'd punched him with. It was discolored and purple now, just like Midoriya's had been, no doubt she'd broken it with the backlash from that attack. In fact, much of her skin was getting discolored as well, like her muscles were tearing themselves apart even as she stood there.

She stared across at Adachi, wincing in pain as she tried to focus, "A-Adachi..." Another gust of wind was released from her body, blowing away all the dust that remained in the ring clearing the way for all to see, "This was fun... Thanks again." She said, forcing a smile through her pain, as she prepared to attack.

His eyes widened, watching her take that familiar stance, _"She's... She's going to go for the ringout... I know what attack is coming, and how she'll aim it but, I can't keep up with her speed!"_ He realized, gritting his teeth, _"But... She also can't change direction once she's in the air!"_

The explosion of dust behind where she had been signaled the charge, as Ryou sprung forward to send him flying with a lariat as she had done to both of her other opponents.

 **"HAAAA** AAAAGH!" Adachi's voice began to change, as he released his power completely, letting himself shift back to human form as quickly as possible. And the size change was more than enough to get him out of harms way.

"WHAT!?" Ryou exclaimed, watching him shrink down as she flew, unable to stop herself as she soared through the air at nothing. Adachi ducked down, watching her keep going and fly right out of the ring!

"Rinsuke Ryou is out of bounds!" Midnight called, as silence settled in, all excitement and momentum coming to a screeching halt, "Kaiji Adachi advances to the final match!"

The crowd exploded into cheers for the end of yet another amazing match, Adachi collapsed to his knees panting for breath. His entire body ached, and he just wanted to crawl into a bed somewhere and die... But, aside from the physical pain, he felt great.

Ryou had hit the grass outside the ring, rolling to a stop and staring up as the sky, "I can't believe it... He... He really..." A grin spread across her face, and she started laughing even though it hurt, as she began to reseal her power.

"I... I did it!" Adachi cried out, raising one of his sore arms into the air, earning a louder response from the crowd before it dropped back down, " _But I'm not done yet."_ Adachi thought, _"Still one more big icy mountain to climb..."  
_


	17. Adachi Ice Breaker and Ryou's Origin

**IVReal: I don't know you'll just have to read and find out! XD**

* * *

Ashido sank back into her seat, sighing heavily in relief as the match came to an end with Adachi on top, with them finally leaving the field the cheering from class 1-A died down, "That was too tense..."

"I can't believe he did it," Midoriya said perhaps a little louder than he'd meant to, "In the end, it came down to brains over brawn... That was really some quick thinking at the end there."

Kirishima clenched his fists tightly, "Haha! Yeah it was! That was awesome! A total brawl! Both of them were amazing!"

" _Ribbit,_ Adachi really is incredible," Asui admitted, tapping one finger to her face, looking down at the arena below as Cementoss started repairing it, "So many of our classmates have surprised me since we started here at UA together."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ashido nodded, sitting up in her seat a bit, "Before UA, I never expected Adachi to do some of the things he's done recently... He's really come into his own." She smiled lightly.

"Now he might even win the Sports Festival! This is gonna be so cool!" Kirishima grinned, "I bet he'll get scouted by some super awesome Hero!"

"Remember, he's still got to get past Todoroki first." Midoriya reminded, taking a short breath, "That's going to be hard."

"Yeah, no kidding." Kirishima nodded, standing up from his seat, "Come on Ashido, lets go see how he's doing while Cementoss prepares the ring... Again."

She got up as well, "Right, good idea!"

As they went on talking, Bakugou was staring down at the ring with anger in his eyes _._ After seeing what both Adachi and Ryou were capable of, he was steaming on the inside. _"I thought she just caught me off guard, and that's the only reason I lost but..."_ The thought of her explosive power tearing up the ring and creating gusts of wind flickered through his mind, along with images of Adachi in his monstrous full power form. _"In a real fight against either of them... Would I even stand a chance?"_

 **. . .**

"Sorry dear, but with the final match waiting I'll have to start with Adachi." Recovery Girl explained, standing between both medical beds, Ryou laying in one while Adachi was laying in the other. Both students had been brought in after their match, carried in on stretchers because they'd both completely burned themselves out during the battle. Adachi looked far less injured than Ryou, who's body was completely discolored and purple from the power coursing through it tearing her muscles but aside from her left arm her bones were still intact according to Recovery Girl.

Ryou nodded her head with a tired smile, "That's fine, really, I can wait." She assured.

Recovery Girl smiled in acknowledgement as she turned back to Adachi and began checking him over, "How do you feel?"

"My chest hurts, so do most of my muscles," He answered, wincing a bit as she put pressure on him by the arms and a few spots on his legs to check where it was the worst, "I think I tore my muscles again, but my insides still feel pretty okay."

"Yes, your muscles are still reacting," She nodded, tapping his knee and making his leg kick a little even as he hissed in pain, "Your body handled it much better this time, that's good." She assured, smiling at him again, "I should be able to heal you up well enough for your match, now lets take a look at that sternum."

His shirt had been torn to shreds by the fighting and his transformation, so she was able to clearly see and assess the damage to his bruised chest, "Yeah, I think she may have cracked it or something with that last punch." He chuckled nervously, even though it hurt.

"S-Sorry..." Ryou chimed in, looking away slightly.

"Its fine, I smacked you around quite a bit too." Adachi assured, before yelping in pain as Recovery Girl pushed down on his chest.

"Yep, definitely fractured, and your ribs have been cracked a bit as well but... Seems they've mostly healed thanks to your natural boost when you transform." She nodded, "Alright, I'll get to work."

One gross old lady smooch later, and Adachi was feeling a wave of exhaustion sweep over him. But the pain was vanishing as well, the boy wincing as his bones mended and skin healed up any scrapes or bruises he had remaining. "Ngh! Th-Thank you, Recovery Girl."

"Just take it easy for a bit," She ordered, turning her attention to Ryou, "I'm sure they won't mind giving you a small break before the final, they wouldn't want anything but the best out of you after that last match."

"Right, gotta put on a good show and all that." Adachi nodded in understanding, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and rolling his shoulders to loosen up a bit. He was about to say more when the door was pushed open, several forms entering all at once. Adachi's eyes widened as he saw not only some of his friends, but several students from class 1-B as well! "Oh hey... Everyone?"

"Told you she'd heal him first." Tetsutetsu grumbled, walking over towards his classmate.

Kirishima shrugged, "Well, he does still have a match to fight in."

Recovery Girl sighed shaking her head, "Honestly I need a bouncer guarding that door..." But she resigned herself to this already, walking to the other side of the room and letting the two fighters chat with their friends. Ryou wasn't in any life threatening peril anyways so it was no problem for her healing to wait a bit.

"Adachi that was awesome!" Ashido beamed as she moved around his bedside, "You did great!"

"Some of the things you were saying," Kirishima scratched the back of his head, "I've never heard you so fired up before... Almost makes me forget what a big nerd you are sometimes." He joked lightly.

Adachi blushed lightly, looking down, "R-Really? I guess... I knew how Ryou felt." He explained nervously, "Luckily her releasing her power wasn't nearly as self destructive as mine was."

"Hey," Adachi blinked in surprise, as the red head from class 1-B, Kendo, addressed him by extending a hand, "I know some of class 1-B have been giving your class a hard time, but from the Class Rep, thank for helping Ryou out." She said with a smile, "You didn't have to, you could have focused on your match and probably won a lot easier if you hadn't pushed her."

Adachi blushed bashfully, shaking her hand, "No it... It really wasn't that big of a deal, I-I mean... Its just good sportsmanship right?" He offered with a nervous laugh, yelping as Ashido swatted him on the back of the head.

"Will you stop being so damn shy and just accept a compliment for once!?" The pink girl demanded, earning a few laughs from the others in the room.

Ryou smiled as she watched, not saying much, until the green haired girl, Shiozaki, knelt down beside her bed, "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty sore," She admitted as the others kept talking, "B-But I'll be okay, Recovery Girl said the damage was just my muscles, and a broken arm..."

Ryou would have flinched if she wasn't so sore, when Shiozaki placed a hand on her own, "I did not mean physically..."

Ryou hesitated for a moment, thinking about everything that was said, revealed, and realized during the match. As she did so, a faint smile spread across her lips, "I... I think I'm okay, or... I'm going to be okay."

She smiled softly and nodded, "I am happy to hear that."

Adachi stood up from his bed suddenly, stretching a bit before looking around at his friends, "Come on, I need a new shirt and I've still got one more match... Lets leave class 1-B alone with their friend." He chuckled, waving off Recovery Girl and heading for the door, his friends following without any argument.

"Adachi!" Ryou suddenly called out, making him stop and turn around halfway, "We'll fight again sometime, won't we? I... I would like to train more for control, whenever I can..." She explained nervously, "If... If you would even want to."

The boy blinked in surprise with his reptilian eyes, before nodding with a grin, "Yeah, definitely."

Her big grin returned in an instant, "Yay!"

"I'll see you around Rinsuke." He waved her off as well, before heading out finally.

Leaving the Class 1-B students alone with their friend, Tetsutetsu turned back to Ryou, "Ryou, how come you never told us you felt that way?"

Ryou looked away from them nervously, no longer carrying that big grin around others as she had before, "I just... I thought if I kept smiling, and trying to keep everyone around me happy, I wouldn't feel so worried or scared all the time..." She sighed heavily, lowering her head, "But really, getting closer to everyone in Class 1-B just... Made me more scared of what could happen if I didn't control myself, and stay focused."

"Ryou come on," Kendo smiled, bopping her on the head lightly, "We're your friends, we would've helped you, so would our Teacher."

"I guess your power was somewhat volatile," Shiozaki chimed in, "But... Why were you so worried it would hurt us? It certainly did a number on the ring but overall it didn't seem anymore dangerous than that Midoriya boys power."

Recovery Girl's eyes darted to Ryou, who seemed to freeze up for a moment. Before she could interrupt however, Ryou began to speak, "Have any of you heard of the Dokuga Bombing?"

The students looked between one another, shrugging in response, "No, nothing I've heard of," Kendo answered, "Why?"

"It was about three years ago," Ryou began to explain calmly, "And... Up until that day, I thought I had no Quirk."

Tetsutetsu blinked in surprise, "No Quirk? That's... How could you not know about your Quirk for so long?"

"Both my parents were Quirkless," She explained, "Or maybe... One of them had the same Quirk as I do, and just never released it, I don't know," Ryou shook her head, "But we weren't very well off, borderline poor actually... My father was a fisher, and my mother worked as a waitress... Normally being a fisher on a seaside town would be a pretty lucrative business, but without a Quirk he usually lost a lot of hauls to those with the ability to do things like move water, talk to animals, he lost a lot of business and what he did get wasn't nearly enough to sustain a good life."

"Ryou that's..." Shiozaki trailed off, realizing in that moment she actually never heard anything about Ryou's family or parents.

"Because of that, my Dad hated Quirks, Heroes, the whole super society." Ryou continued, taking a darker tone, "He drank a lot, yelled a lot and ranted about how terrible the world was because of Quirks... I never even considered looking into myself having a Quirk, I just kept my head down... Was Quiet, and tried not to get in his way..." She gripped the bed sheet tightly with her good hand, "One night, the news was going crazy about how All Might was in town, and that only made my father angrier than usual... I was in my room, when he started yelling at my mother." The words became a bit harder to say, but she had to say it, she couldn't just keep hiding from who she was and what she'd done, "A few loud crashes, probably bottles or dishes breaking... At first I just sat there, not knowing what do but... I heard my mother scream and just ran out to see what was happening."

 _"People like him are the reason we have NOTHING!"_

"He had her pinned down, one hand wrapped around her neck, and I could see she was bleeding from the side of her head... She wasn't moving." Ryou continued, her classmates looking at her horrified, "I didn't know what to do, but at that moment I just... Snapped."

 _"STOP IT!" Lights began to erupt from her body, veins glowing through her skin, "GET AWAY FROM HER!"_

"My body was on fire, I was screaming, everything hurt," Ryou felt heat rising behind her eyes, "Then I just blacked out... It was morning when I woke up, but I wasn't in my home anymore."

 _"Where..." She couldn't speak, the words choking in throat, her entire body feeling like it was broken, tears began to stream down her cheeks. Looking around as best she could, all she could see was an empty crater._

"It wasn't a very big city, and we were located in the suburbs," Ryou took a deep breath, shaking her head, "But I'd still leveled four blocks of houses, and turned my own home into an empty crater."

"Wh-What about your... Parents?" Tetsutetsu asked cautiously.

"I think I killed them." She didn't hesitate to say it, as if admitting something she'd wanted to for a very long time, "Luckily, the worst damage was in the epicenter... The surrounding houses were destroyed but, the heroes swooping in were rescuing people and getting them help... I was found by the only man that was brave enough to search the crater at the center of it, All Might." She explained, a faint smile returning, "He got me to a hospital, not realizing at the time that I was the cause of this... The news said it was a villain attack, a bombing, but after the doctors examined me and heard what happened that night at my home they knew what really caused it." A tear ran down her cheek.

Kendo placed a hand on her shoulder, realizing how hard this was for her, "Hey, if you wanna stop-"

"My Quirk is called Power Limiter," Rinsuke used her good hand to wipe her eyes, continuing without answering her, "My body is... Always generating this massive amount of power, my Quirk is what keeps it under control, at least that's what the doctors said after running some tests... I'd been repressing it my entire life, while the power was just building up inside of me without me even realizing it." She explained, taking a deep breath to steady herself, "But unleashing it all at once had nearly crippled me, I was stuck in that hospital bed recovering for weeks... During that time, All Might stuck around, and visited when he was able... I guess he really wanted to help me," She shook her head with a faint smile, "I never really found out why... He just said with my power, I could protect a lot of people... That I could become someone great." She had to fight to stop the tears from spilling over, "It was the first I'd smiled in... As long as I could remember."

"Your recommendation," Tetsutetsu seemed to connect the dots, "It came from All Might didn't it?"

"Yeah," Ryou admitted, "But please, don't let that information get around, I-I promised I wouldn't let his support become public knowledge."

"Relax," Kendo nodded with a smile, "We won't tell anyone, but how did you go from... That incident, to coming here?"

"Right, yeah," Ryou wiped her eyes again and took a deep breath before continuing, "With my Quirk actually, I don't know, unlocked... My body changed," She explained, "Believe it or not, I wasn't always a seven foot tall amazonian." She joked lightly, before continuing, "All Might gave me a bit of money, and got me an apartment closer to UA, far away from Dokuga... Since my appearance had changed so drastically already, I went further to leave behind my old life," She stated, pointing to her hair, "I cut my hair, dyed it, and changed my name with his help, my last name at least... From there he taught me some training methods for focusing, and improving my body... Over the last two years I had no free time," She added, "I was either studying, preparing for UA because I couldn't just go back to a normal school, I also worked a part time job, and trained in any way I could... Adopting hobbies like baking or drawing to keep myself focused."

"Baking?" Kendo blinked in surprise, imagining Ryou cooking in an apron.

Shiozaki smiled lightly, "I guess that explains the cupcakes on the first day of school."

"Heheh, yeah pretty much," She laughed nervously, feeling better after finally revealing the truth to her friends, "In the last year before I'd come here to UA, All Might started coming by a lot less, never really explained why... Just said I was going to stand on my two feet, either way." She waved off the thoughts, "I learned how to restrict my power pretty well at that point, and release it in increments and through specific points on my body like my feet and arms but... Well, I've never actually gone all the way, until today that is." As she finished up she looked around between them, gauging their reactions, "So uh... Th-That's my story, I guess... I'm sorry I lied to you guys, or hid anything from you I just... I was afraid you wouldn't like me, or be scared of me."

"We appreciate your honesty." Shiozaki smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You have had a hard life, and for that I am sorry."

"Yeah, I had no idea behind that smile was..." Tetsutetsu trailed off, before shaking his head, "Agh! Whatever! NONE OF THAT MATTERS NOW!" He declared with intensity, trying to break any remaining tension, "You're our friend now! And we've got your back no matter what so IF YOU EVER NEED HELP JUST TELL US FROM NOW ON!"

Recovery Girl shook her head, "So noisy..."

"Oh yeah," Kendo turned towards her, "So does the school already know about all this? Or is Ryou going to get in trouble now?"

Recovery Girl waved her off, "No no of course not, All Might explained the situation to Principal Nezu and he was more than happy to support her." She hopped down off of her seat after she finished, "Now, if you're finished, I really should get to healing her."

"Yeah," Ryou nodded her head before the others could answer, "Thanks everyone, I'll join you in the stands once she's finished patching me up." She assured.

Kendo nodded, "Alright, see you soon!" She waved her off, heading for the door, Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki both following after giving their goodbyes as well.

As they left, Ryou sighed contently, laying her head back and staring up at the ceiling _._ Recovery Girl moved to the bedside, looking down at her, "So, what do you think?"

"I think... I'm going to be okay now."

 **. . .**

Some time later, once everything was repaired and ready to go, Adachi had made his way to the ring for one final match...

 **"Welcome to the final battle of the UA High School Sports Festival!"** Present Mic announced with excitement coloring his voice from the booth, **"In just a moment here we'll see which first year comes out on top!"** **  
**

In the ring below, Adachi and Todoroki were already in position just waiting for the signal to begin. The two of them staring one another down and analyzing each other, going over everything they had seen today in their heads to try and come up with a strategy. Adachi knew the beginning of this fight would be the most important part, he'd either find a way through or around Todoroki's opening move or be buried... Literally.

 _"This is it."_ The boys reptilian eyes never left Todoroki, _"No more talking, I'm not saving anyone anymore here, this is just a fight to the finish."_

 **"Yes it all comes down to this folks!"** He continued, as the crowd raged, **"From the Hero Course! It's Shouto Todoroki! VERSUS! His classmate, Kaiji Adachi!"** He gave them a moment for the crowd to die down and applaud whichever student they wanted to succeed, before finally, **"Now... BEGIN!"**

Todoroki's hand hit the arena floor instantly, unleashing his power at maximum as a massive sheet of ice began erupting straight towards Adachi. It was just as he'd expected, but he was ready for this! It was just like when he attacked Tetsutetsu in the earlier match, but more controlled, was he being cautious? It didn't matter, Adachi made his move as the ice wall came crashing down upon him.

 **"Todoroki starts things off with a CRAZY opening move! It looks like Adachi has been completely buried! Is it possible we already have a champion!?"**

But Todoroki wasn't foolish enough to believe it was already over, that opening move was just a formality to Adachi, making it clear he wasn't going to go easy on him. And the boy understood, which is why Todoroki wasn't surprised when he spotted the tall blue lizard man standing atop the ice wall. He'd changed at some point before the attack, and used his claws to scale the ice wall before he could be pushed out of bounds or entombed.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Adachi shouted, beginning to run down the ice wall, using his clawed feet to keep his footing while racing down towards him. Once he had gained enough momentum, he jumped and aimed himself at his opponent.

Todoroki backstepped, unleashing another wave of ice much smaller than before. But Adachi was ready, flipping forward with the momentum, he brought his heavy tail down hard on the oncoming ice barrage. The impact shattered it completely, sending shards of the ice everywhere before the boy landed right in front of Todoroki. He threw a punch forward aiming for the boys jaw, Todoroki was fast enough to duck the attack though!

But that was only a distraction.

"Hnngh!" Todoroki gasped, the wind getting knocked out of him as Adachi's tail jabbed him in the stomach. Before the lizard man could follow it up however, another wave of ice erupted between them forcing Adachi to retreat some steps back and give Todoroki breathing room.

"Adachi is really going hard," Kirishima commented as he watched, "I've never seem him push the attack like this before."

"He's got Todoroki on defense," Ashido nodded in agreement, "But how long will that last? If he doesn't keep smashing or dodging the ice he could be in serious trouble."

Adachi didn't remain idle for long, charging forward again, meeting the next ice wall with his fists shattering it even as his scales split a bit along his knuckles making the boy wince in pain. Todoroki's eyes glaring straight at him, _"He can break through my ice like its glass!"_ He realized in annoyance, _"But if I can just encase him!"_ He began shooting out another wave of ice, hoping to catch him at close range as he had done with Iida, reaching out with his right hand.

Unaware of the danger, Adachi pressed his attack cocking back a fist and taking a swing at Todoroki after jumping the new ice blast. But the boy grabbed him by the wrist before the blow could land, "What!?" His eyes widened, ice forming around his arm instantly and starting to spread across his body. But rather than hesitate, Adachi acted on instinct swinging with his other arm aiming right for the boys face while his freezing hand was occupied.

"Agh!" Todoroki was slammed right across the jaw, some of the ice that had been forming over his right side cracked and broke away, he was forced to let go as it sent him tumbling. But he shook it off mid roll, swinging his arm up and creating another icewall to get himself off the ground as he began sliding across it trying to surround Adachi now, _"He's attacking viciously, not as calm as he was in earlier matches, could he be still weak from his last match? Or maybe..."_

 **"Todoroki recovers and is now surfing on an ice wave! Looks like fun!"  
**

Adachi wasn't going to wait for himself to be surrounded, _"I can't keep letting him ice me over, this cold air... I can feel my muscles starting to stiffen up, I'm getting sluggish!"_ He realized, his lizardly weakness to the cold was starting to catch up with him as all of this ice started dropping the air temperature around them. He charged at Todoroki leaping forward he cocked back his fist again ready to swing. And with both Todoroki's right arm and leg being occupied steadying himself on the ice he couldn't counter attack with ice!

For a split second, the boys mind flickered to his fiery abilities.

"DO IT SHOUTO!" The voice of Endeavor rang out, "Use your left side! BLOW HIM AWAY WITH YOUR FIRE!"

Both boys hesitated, hearing the voice calling out mid combat. But rather than ignite the flames, Todoroki grabbed Adachi's wrist with his hand turning away the attack and using his momentum to spin and throw him back into the icy ring he was creating. As Adachi hit the ground, Todoroki started releasing more ice from above, burying his opponent beneath a sheet of ice!

 **"Adachi's been completely entombed! That might be the match folks!"**

"Oh no!" Ashido gasped, on the edge of her seat as she watched.

"I can't see him," Kirishima clenched his fists tightly, "Come on Adachi..."

Midnight watched the iceblock for a few seconds, her worry turning to if Adachi could even breath in there, "I think Adachi has been immobilized! Todoroki is th-"

"Wait!" The white and red haired boy interrupted, eyes locked onto the ice before him _._ He could see a faint light starting to flicker within, _"Is he transforming?"_

The ice suddenly exploded upward, taking out the entire top half of the ice block as an eruption of blue flames filled the air. Coupled with the shards of ice raining down it made for a beautiful light show, as Adachi climbed out over the edge of the ice panting for breath. Steam was wafting from his nose and mouth, some blood tricking from the corners of his mouth as he gripped his now aching throat, _"That was close... I tore my throat up again but, at least I found out I can use fire breath like this too, just a bit more dangerous..."_

"Adachi appears to be alright, the match will continue!" Midnight announced, the crowd cheering in response.

"Appears to be alright?" Asui repeated, frowning as she watched him, "He's bleeding from the mouth, _ribbit."_

"He can take it," Kirishima assured with a grin spreading across his face, "I'm sure he wouldn't have done it otherwise!"

"I know, but still..."

 _"I can't risk going all out again, my body might not hold up,"_ Adachi decided, holding a leveled gaze with Todoroki, both of them searching for a new opening of attack as they tried to decipher one another, _"He won't use his left side... It would be wrong to exploit that, but also smart... Dammit!"_

"Hraaaaagh!" Adachi unleashed a gurgled, messy roar that sent blood flying from his throat. Before charging headlong at Todoroki, aiming for his right side instead of his left, _"Everything I've got, RIGHT NOW!"_

 _"He's going for my right side!?"_ The move took Todoroki off guard briefly, before he shook it off, _"He's a fool, I'll bury him again!"_ Kneeling down with his hand on the ground, he began unleashing another ice wave at him. The jagged icy pillars erupting and racing towards the boy to drive him back or freeze him solid.

"Graaaah!" Adachi roared, drawing back his fists and meeting the ice head on. The shattering of ice filled the stadium with noise, as he smashed through the ice over and over refusing to give up an inch as he dug his claws into the floor of the arena, "HAAAH! GRAAHA! NAAAAH!"

Shards of ice were flying, and Todoroki was backstepping to gain more distance between them as he unleashed more and more ice. Looking down, he could see Adachi was using his tail to smash the ice that formed around his legs just as quickly as he could create it, _"I'm running out of room and he won't stop!"_ He realized in dismay, starting to panic as the beast closed on him.

The scales around his knuckles and tail had been chipped and broken away by the constant smashing against ice. His knuckles were leaving marks of blood across the ice with every attack and his tail throbbed in pain, "HRAAAAAAGH!"

 _"Ice isn't enough!"_ His left arm began to rise as well, _"I... I have to-"_ But the flames wouldn't appear, his internal struggling stopping it as he hesitated, Adachi finally clearing the ice and closing in! _"I... I can't-"_

"COME ON TODOROKI!" The boys eyes widened, as Midoriya stood up from his seat, "DON'T GIVE UP! DO YOUR BEST!"

His teeth clenched together tightly, _"Midoriya!"_ Fires lit up around his left side, and his arm aimed at the approaching beast preparing to blast him away with the flames.

Adachi didn't stop, cocking back his own bloody fist, _"He's so close to the edge! If I can just withstand his fire I can-"_ But to his surprise, the flames died out just as soon as they'd ignited. And Todoroki was completely open, _"Dammit!"_ Adachi lowered his fist, slowing down and lowering his shoulder. Shoving Todoroki out of the ring by making him stumble back a few feet just enough to get out of bounds.

The boy was somewhat startled, expected Adachi to knock him flat with that punch. But Adachi didn't say anything, the boy giving him a small nod before turning back to Midnight. He brought a hand up and wiped his mouth of the blood, his throat still on fire and that roaring certainly hadn't helped.

"Todoroki is out of bounds!" Midnight announced, "Adachi is the winner!" The crowd lighting up with cheers, despite not being as impressive as some of the earlier matches.

Adachi turned back to normal, wincing as he looked down at his hands. The skin on his knuckles was shredded, and ran with small trickles of blood. He took a deep breath, and raised his hands into the air, trying to give something to the crowd to go with. This was his victory, he was supposed to happy about it right?

 **"Aaand with that the final match is officially over!"** Present Mic announced through the cheers, **"The First Year Champion of the Sports Festival is... KAIJI ADACHI!"**

 **. . .**

After heading to Recovery Girl and getting healed up, and receiving a stern scolding for torching his throat again, Adachi was on his way back to the field. He had a few bandages wrapped around his hands where the skin was still tender and needed to recover. His throat wasn't exactly back to one hundred percent either and he was told to keep talking to a minimum until he came back to see her again.

It hadn't really sunk in yet, that somehow he'd managed to actually win the Festival. After managing to defeat many of his own classmates, people he thought were so much stronger than him. Though, in some area's he considered himself lucky, and knew he still had a long way to go...

Adachi wasn't allowed to just go out and join his classmates on the field, he was lead down to a lower room under the stadium and told to stand on a platform. His own would be marked first, while Todoroki stood on the second place Platform to his right, and the third place platform to his left was occupied only by a rather excited Ryou.

"Your match was awesome! I'm glad I didn't have to fight you I probably would have been froze over!" She laughed excitedly at Todoroki, the boy sweatdropping.

"Thanks I guess?"

Before much could be said between them, Adachi stepped onto his platform and the ceiling opened. Sounds of fireworks and cheering became louder. Adachi winced a bit as the light shined through, and the platform below him started to rise along with the others. Soon enough they were hoisted up and onto the center stage, put on full display for the entire world to see.

"Now for the award ceremony!" Midnight called out, "First place goes to Kaiji Adachi, Second to Shouto Todoroki, and Third place is actually shared by Tenya Iida and Rinsuke Ryou, but Iida had to leave for personal reasons, gotta love those familial bonds~" She said, winking at the flashing cameras, "Now lets break out the hardware!" She ordered, raising a hand high, "Of course there's only one person worthy of distributing these awards..."

As she trailed off, a hearty laugh rang through the skies above. Adachi blinked in surprise looking up to see the shadow of All Might standing on the stadium roof above. The crowd was going nuts, as All Might launched himself into the air, " **I** AM HERE WITH MEDALS!"

"It's All Might The Number One Hero!" Midnight added, nearly stepping on his lines as All Might crashed down landing on his feet right beside Midnight.

Shisui looked down on the scene from above, smiling as she leaned back in her chair, "Today was stressful, never realized how intense this hero stuff was..."

"Now that you're here All Might, lets begin the award presentation." Midnight said, holding up the Medals for him to distribute among the candidates.

He took the first medal, a bronze one for third place and stepped up to Ryou who was doing her best to stand still, "Young Ryou, you did a great job, even if you didn't win I'm proud of your progress, and even more proud that you've overcome the fear you've carried for so long." He assured, placing the medal around her neck.

"Th-Thank you All Might!" She beamed in joy, before he pulled her into a short hug, patting her on the back.

"I have no doubt you will go on to do great things, just be honest with who you are from now, and trust yourself." He added, pulling away as a few tears started welling up in her eyes. But she was still smiling, so he patted her on the shoulder to let her know crying was okay, before he grabbed the silver medal and moved to Todoroki's stand, "Young Todoroki... Congratulations," All Might said sincerely, placing the silver medal around his neck, "I assume there's a reason you didn't use your left side, though it cost you the final..."

"Midoriya opened my eyes during our match, but then I started to doubt myself," Todoroki admitted somberly, "I think now I understand a little bit about why you're so interested in him, I want to be the kind of hero you are... But my path, isn't as clear as I thought it was." He took a deep breath and looked up at him finally, "I have a lot to think about... And I still need to settle things with someone, very soon."

All Might nodded, "I've never seen this sort of look on your face before," Before leaning in and giving him a short hug as well, "I won't ask for details, but trust yourself... I'm sure you'll work things out."

"Right..."

After that, All Might took the final medal, and stepped up to Adachi's pedestal, "Young Adachi, I have to admit... I was not expecting this rise to glory from you, but after what I've seen you do I know not to take you lightly." He chuckled, placing the gold medal around his neck.

"Thank you, I just... To be honest," Adachi admitted nervously, "I didn't really have a reason to aim for the top... Aside from my Mother threatening to ground me otherwise, I wasn't trying to prove something, like Todoroki, or make some dream a reality, like Midoriya said, or even trying to be number one I just..." He looked down at his bandaged hands, "I'm still not sure what kind of hero I want to be..."

All Might leaned in and gave him the same hug, "Some Pros have never been able to answer that question, but do not doubt yourself... Meddling where you don't need to," His motioned to Ryou nearby who was busy playing with her medal, "And fighting for others, is the very essence of being a hero... And I've seen you do both those things." He pulled back and placed his hands on his hips, "Congratulations, Kaiji Adachi, you've earned it!"

He looked down at the medal around his neck, smiling softly, "Thank you All Might..."

As the award ceremony came to a close, Adachi and his friends would return to their class to speak with Mr. Aizawa in the evening before heading home. He told them they had the next two days off to recover which sounded great, before they'd be returning to go over some of the draft forms that might be submitted in that time. After class, Adachi met up with Ashido and Kirishima, heading home to meet their families for a big dinner get together to celebrate Adachi's victory and everyone's performance.

And so it was, that the Sports Festival came to a close...


	18. Internships, Hero Names, Lizard

**Weslyschraepen: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH**

 **Vedahzi: I'm glad you liked the backstory! I wanted something really sad for someone that was always smiling lol And yeah I'm happy with the way the fight turned out, if you really want to send me that OC just shoot me a PM XD**

* * *

The break was a good change of pace, and Adachi spent most of his time studying and catching up on some reading during the time off. His mother and father were happy to give him all the time alone he wanted, knowing he'd worked hard to win the medal that was now hanging up in his room. They were proud of him, and having both of them here made it feel even better.

But, as the break came to a close, they returned to school the morning of a rainy day.

"A bunch of people recognized us!" Ashido was beaming, the teens all huddled around the center of class talking. Minus the usual self induced outcasts, Bakugou, Todoroki and Tokoyami, "Everyone was stopping us to talk on the way here!"

"Stopping Adachi maybe!" Kirishima laughed, "You should have seen how red his face turned when those girls asked for his autograph!"

Adachi's cheeks flushed deeply, "Sh-shut up!"

"A bunch of people were staring at me!" The invisible girl, Hagakure added, shifting back and forth, "It was kind of embarrassing!"

"Yeah but isn't that normal for you?" Ojiro commented with a chuckle.

"All it took was one Sports Festival and we're already like Celebrities!" Kaminari grinned with excitement.

Followed by Mineta, "This school really is amazing!"

The door opened, and everyone got back into their seats with super human speed.

"Good morning."

"Good morning Mr. Aizawa." They all replied formally, he had certainly whipped them into shape in regards to quieting down and acting like proper students.

Asui tapped a finger to her face, "Mr. Aizawa you don't have bandages anymore." She pointed out, "That's good news..."

"The old lady went a little overboard in her treatment," He replied, scratching his cheek, Adachi noticed he had a scar under his right eye now too, "Anyways, we have a big class today on hero-informatics."

 _"Informatics? Well, I guess I'm glad I hit the books over my break."_ Adachi noted idly.

"You need code names," Aizawa explained, "Time to pick your hero identity."

"THIS IS GONNA BE TOTALLY AWESOME!" Half the class was nearly jumping out of their seats. Until Mr. Aizawa's eyes began to glow, and they all returned to silence and proper seating.

"This is related to the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the last time we were in class together," He continued once everyone was silent, "Normally students don't have to worry about the draft yet, not until the second or third year actually... But your class is different, in fact... In extending offers to first years like you, pros are essentially investing in your potential." He explained calmly, "Any offers can be rescinded if their interest dies down before graduation."

"So what you're saying is," Hagakure spoke up, "We'll still have to prove ourselves even after we've been recruited."

"Correct," Aizawa nodded simply, "Now, here are the totals for those of you who got offers..." He aimed a remote at the "chalkboard" and pressed a button. Names and numbers began flashing and filling up.

Adachi and Todoroki were on top, both of them having well over a thousand offers, but Todoroki still sat at the top with a few hundred more than Adachi. Not far behind them was Bakugou's name, the boy himself had gotten a large number of requests as well nearly breaking a thousand. The rest were far lower, numbering less than a hundred for most of them. Adachi's eyes scanned the list, he saw Kirishima there but no sign of Ashido's name. He swallowed nervously, realizing how many places he'd have to look through to decide.

 _"Well I guess I should cancel my free time for the next day or two."_ Adachi thought to himself, sighing heavily.

"Normally it's a bit more spread out," Aizawa noted, "But this year we seem to have a pretty big gap."

"Todoroki scored more than Adachi?" Jirou blinked in surprise.

"That's like the opposite of how they placed in the final though." Kaminari added.

"I mean he _is_ the son of the number two hero, and Adachi is the son of a former villain," Kirishima sighed, looking to his friend, "Tough break man."

Adachi shrugged, more information about him had been circulating since the festival, the price of fame he guessed. "I still got quite a few, honestly I'm surprised I even had this many."

Mineta's voice chimed in shortly after, "Midoriya, you got none... I bet everyone was really grossed out by the way you were fighting."

"Despite these results," Mr. Aizawa continued, "You'll _all_ be working with pros, got it? Even those of you who didn't get any offers."

"Oh, so no matter what we all get field training?" Midoriya blinked in surprise.

"Yes, you all got to see combat with real villains during the attack on the USJ Facility," Aizawa explained, "But it will still be helpful to see real pros at work... Up close and personal, in the field, first hand."

"And for that we need hero names!" Satou fist pumped excitedly.

"Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" Uraraka beamed.

"These heroes names will likely be temporary," Aizawa stated, "But take them seriously or-"

The door burst open, "You'll have HELL to pay later!"

 _"Uh oh,"_ Adachi sweatdropped, _"I recognize that voice..."_

"What you pick today could be your code name for life," She said, heels clicking across the floor as she approached Aizawa, "So choose carefully or you could end up with something utterly indecent!"

"Its Midnight~" A few of the boys fawned over her.

Aizawa sighed, "Yeah, she's got a point... Midnight will have final approval over your names, it's not really my forte... Names are important, it helps reinforce your image and who you want to be as a hero in the future, these code names can tell people exactly what you represent... Take All Might, for example."

Large cards were passed down each row of students along with markers for writing on the card. Adachi accepted his and passed back the final two to Tokoyami. He stared blankly at the card, already hearing people start getting to work as he thought about his own name.

 _"I guess I never thought about specifically what kind of hero I want to be... Aside from, a good one, I guess?"_ He scratched the side of his head, mentally battling the blank space in front of him, as students started going up to the front to present starting with Aoyama.

"The shining hero!" He declared, "My name is, 'I Can Not Stop Twinkling'!" He announced confidently.

"I like the idea, but lets get rid of the 'I' and shorten Can Not, to Can't." Midnight replied, changing his card. Groans of annoyance rising from the class.

"Hmm, how about this..." Adachi stood up, smiling nervously as he approached the board, "It's kind of a play on my name, and its the name of Quirk." He explained, holding up his card at the front, "Kaiju."

"Hmm, I see what you're going for," Midnight responded, holding a hand to her chin, "But, using a name that means 'Giant Monster' is a little more scary than reassuring." She chuckled, "Try again, we'll save that as a back up."

Adachi frowned, nodding as he headed back to his seat, "Alright..."

"Okay lemme go next!" Ashido beamed, getting up and rushing to the front, showing her card eagerly, "Alien Queen!"

"Hold on!" Midnight exclaimed, face twisting in disgust, "You mean like that horrible Monster with the Acidic blood!? I don't think so!"

Adachi couldn't help but chuckle, as Ashido limped back to her desk in defeat. Quickly returning his eyes to his card, _"Yeah I guess Kaiju was sort of on the nose."_ He thought to himself, _"Maybe... I should think about it differently? My name doesn't literally have to be about a power... It could be about a quality of mine."_

"I've got mine!" Kirishima announced as he approached the front, "The Sturdy Hero, I am Red Riot!"

"Interesting," Midnight smiled, hands on her hips, "You're paying homage to the chivalrous hero, Crimson Riot."

"That's right," Kirishima nodded, "He's kinda old school, but some day I wanna be just like he was, Crimson is my idol!" He declared confidently.

"Hmm," She nodded in response, "If you're baring the name of someone you admire you have that much more to live up to."

Kirishima grinned, raising his fist, "I accept the Challenge!"

Adachi smiled as he watched Kirishima return to his seat, _"He's certainly got everything figured out... But the more I think about it, the more I'm not sure I really know what kind of hero I want to be..."_ Adachi played with his marker, staring at the blank space as he struggled, _"Maybe being straight forward isn't such a bad idea... I want my actions and my words to help others and show the kind of person I am."_

After waiting for a few more people to go, Adachi rose from his seat with a new name in mind. Approaching the front and holding up his card, "Its pretty basic but... I think I want it to be simple," He explained with a smile, "I'd like to think I'm a pretty simple guy, so I wanna be straightforward, I'll be the Scaly Hero, Rizado!" He declared, the name literally meaning "Lizard", nothing more and nothing less.

"You're quite humble for someone that just won the Sports Festival," Midnight teased with a small laugh, "Good to see that victory hasn't gone to your head, I think Rizado is a wonderful name."

"Thank you." Adachi bowed his head in respect, returning to his seat feeling less tense than before, _"That wasn't so bad, and it certainly felt better once I actually said it."_ He realized, smiling as he watched the rest of the students slowly head up to the board one after another. It wasn't very much later that everyone had finished deciding on their hero names, and as Midnight stretched a bit Aizawa awoke from his nap and stood before the class to give final words.

"Now that everyone has decided on Hero names," He began, standing at the podium, "We can go back to talking about your upcoming internships... They'll last for one week, as for who you'll be working with those on the board will choose from among their offers... Everyone else will have a different list, you have a lot to think about, there are over forty agencies from around the country that have agreed to take on interns from this class even for those of you who didn't get requests." He explained holding up one of the papers, "Each Agency has a different specialty that it's heroes focus on, keep that in mind."

"Imagine you were 13," Midnight chimed in bringing up the Rescue Hero, "You'd want to pick an Agency that focuses more on rescuing people than fighting villains."

"Think carefully before you decide." Aizawa finished, before the forms started getting handed out. Those who got requests were given stacks of paper each one lined with a number of Agencies that wanted them. While everyone else was handed basic forms with the same forty Agencies available.

"I wanna fight crime and bad guys in a big city!" Kirishima grinned, looking over his offers.

"I just hope I can intern someplace with a lot of flooding," Asui added, bringing a finger to her cheek as she spoke, "Maybe a lake..."

"Turn in your choices before the weekend." Aizawa added, heading for the door with Midnight.

"We've only got two days!?" Sero exclaimed in dismay.

"Yeah, so you'd better get to it," He answered coldly, "You're dismissed." Before closing the door behind him, the school bells ringing signalling it was the end of this period.

Adachi sighed heavily as he flipped through his stacks of paper, "Oh boy... This is gonna take awhile." The majority of the names he didn't even recognize, and most of the others he didn't know anything about! He'd have to spend most of his free time researching these places to make any headway. He stood up slowly from his seat, staring down at the papers as he slung his bag over his shoulder to head out.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only person not paying attention as he made his way to the door. It was too little too late when they both noticed, Adachi and Midoriya running right into each other! They banged heads, having both been staring down at their papers, before stumbling back and falling to the ground. Adachi's stack went flying letting his papers roll out everywhere.

"Oh gosh I'm sorry!" Midoriya yelped, quickly scrambling to help him pick them up.

"N-No its my fault, I wasn't paying attention at all!" Adachi argued, helping pick up the papers as well.

"Stop apologizing you damn wimps!" Bakugou shouted, kicking a few more aside as he walked through them and out the door.

"Hey!" Adachi shouted after him, as another paper was knocked out of his hand, "Ugh, what a jerk..." He sighed shaking his head.

Midoriya reached down, grabbing the paper and standing up with his few, "Here, sorry about that... You sure got a lot of offers."

Adachi sighed lowering his head, "Yeah, a lot to look through too."

Midoriya laughed lightly, "Well, good luck with-" His words hitched as he caught a name on the last paper he'd picked up, "Holy crap! You got an offer from the Ryukyu Hero Agency!"

Adachi blinked, "What? Really?" He grabbed the paper, reading down it and gasping as he saw the name, "That's... Whoa..."

"She's the Number 9 Hero!" Midoriya beamed with excitement, "That's so awesome! You're so lucky!"

Adachi knew about her, a great hero that could turn into a dragon. He used to idolize her when he was younger, but that was probably only because he thought dragons were really cool. And thinking about it now, he felt a sudden apprehension at showing up to her agency, before the Dragon Hero herself!

"Adachi don't you still have that old poster of her?" Kirishima asked, poking his nose in as he and Ashido approached the scene.

His cheeks flushed red, "Uh... I mean, yeah, maybe somewhere..." He said nervously, not wanting to admit it was still hanging up in his room.

"You should totally go to her Agency!" Ashido grinned as both boys stood up finally, "Working with the Number 9 ranked Hero? You can't pass up an opportunity like that!"

"She's right you know," Midoriya added with a nod, "An opportunity like this probably won't come along very often, even if its just for a week the experience would be a great help."

Adachi felt like he didn't have much choice... But he knew they were right, even if he was nervous, "A-Alright... Yeah, I'll do it! I'm going to intern with Ryukyu!"

* * *

 **Strap in for the Internship Bois and Gurls!**


	19. A New Adventure! Intern Adachi Arrives!

**weslyscraepen: I can understand that, unfortunately this time around Adachi has developed differently as a character than before. But hey, who knows those Hero names aren't set in stone right? :D**

 **Lyricangel25: Heh, it would be but... I don't think that's going to happen for... Reasons X3**

 **Vedahzi: Glad you like the changes XD Yeah I wanted to throw him at a more well known hero since I elevated his position in the sports festival this time around. Either way I am sure you'll enjoy the coming Arc as well!**

 **DrakeDragon297: Thanks! I'm really going all out with this Rework lol and I'm glad people are enjoying it :D**

* * *

Since Adachi made his decision pretty quickly with the help of his friends, he got to spend the next two days just relaxing and going through school as usual. A nice change of pace for the boy, but things in his life were steadily changing even if only a little at a time...

His mother was working on getting a job to help support the house now that there was an extra mouth to feed. And Adachi had exchanged numbers with Rinsuke Ryou, promising to get together at least once a week and blow off some steam sparring together. Though, their first session would have to wait until after their internships. Apparently she had gotten in with a good hero and she was excited to get to work, earning a request from the "Kick Ass" Hero Agency.

But after two short days of waiting, it was time to depart for his internship. The entire class met at the station on their first day, after being handed out their costumes in cases that they would need for the duration of their trips...

"Remember you don't have permission to wear your costumes out in public yet," Aizawa reminded, "And don't lose them."

"Gotchya!" Ashido answered brightly, eager to get going as she bounced forward with a beaming smile.

"Speak properly." Aizawa ordered, "It's "Yes sir", Ashido."

She frowned and pulled her arms down, "Yes sir..."

Adachi chuckled a bit, patting her on the back as Aizawa continued, "Make sure you mind your manners at your Agencies, now get to it."

The class responded as one, "Yes sir."

With that, he left them alone to find their trains before returning to his other duties. Ashido, Adachi and Kirishima were all gathered by the trains getting ready to depart.

"This is gonna be so much fun," Ashido smiled with excitement in her eyes, "I wish I got to go some place far off and cool like you two though!"

"Well do better in the festival next year." Adachi teased lightly, earning a punch in the arm from her.

"Yeah sorry I couldn't get past the giant lizard in my way!" She argued, pouting at him with her hands on her hips.

"Either way I'm sure your internship will be fun," Kirishima shrugged with a smile, "I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say about their trips when they get back."

"I'm a little nervous but, I'm ready." Adachi nodded, turning towards the tracks as his train pulled up slowly letting more people off, "Alright, I've gotta get going, I'll see you guys in a week!" He waved, starting to walk off.

Ashido blinked, before bouncing forward quickly, "Hey wait!" Earning a confused look from Kirishima.

"Hmm? What is it?" He asked, turning back around, before she grabbed him by the hand making his face flush deep red.

"I just wanted to say..." She trailed off for a moment, before shaking it off, "Never mind, I'll tell you when you get back." She laughed nervously, releasing his hand, "Good luck!"

Adachi blinked in surprise as his blush faded, "R-Right, bye!" He walked off on his own, leaving the two of them alone.

"You're acting weirder than usual." Kirishima pointed out, quirking an eyebrow, "What was that about?"

Ashido released a small, content sigh, "Oh nothing... Come on lets get to our trains before we're late!"

 **. . .**

It was still early when they left, so Adachi had nearly dozed off by the time his train pulled into his stop. The stop jolted him awake, and he quickly brought himself back to full awareness. Rising from his seat and standing up, case in hand and a backpack with extra clothes on his back. He stepped off the train and made his way into the bustling city.

He'd never been in such a crowded place before, used to more rural areas and suburbs for most of his life. The stuffed streets of people making their commutes during the day was a lot to take in. But Adachi knew where he was going, and the GPS on his phone helped guide the way. It wasn't long before he reached a large building with the title "Ryukyu" plastered over the entrance. Along with an image of a massive dragon of course...

"Alright... Here we go." Adachi nodded, taking a deep breath and stepping up to the big double doors.

As his hand reached out for them, they flew wide open!

Making Adachi jump back as a a girl appeared, "I knew it!" She exclaimed with a big smile, "Right on time!" She had pale skin, big blue eyes, and extremely long, light blue hair that reached all the way down to her legs and twisted around itself at the waist area. Her costume consisted of a skin-tight bodysuit and a pair of gauntlets on her arms, as well as two strands of an unknown material, maybe her hair, that twisted into spiral horns, "Your file said you were punctual! That's great, come in come in!" She urged stepping back from the door.

Adachi sweatdropped, _"This girl, she doesn't look much older than me, is she really one of Ryukyu's sidekicks?"_ He wondered, nodding his head and stepping inside, "Uh, yeah I'm Kaiji Adachi, its a pleasure to meet you." He said putting on a polite smile.

"Yeah right hi," She said quickly, eyes scanning him over quickly, "So are all your clothes stretch resistant material so you can transform whenever you want? Does your costume have a tail hole in it? Does being a lizard make you want to lay in the sun all day!?"

Adachi was taken aback by her assault of questions, especially the last one which was... Accurate, making him blush a little, "Uh... Y-Yes, to all of those questions..." He admitted, looking around the entrance room they were in. It was more like a lobby, with halls going deeper into the building and stairs nearby, "So uh, are you one of Ryukyu's sidekicks?"

"I'm an intern," She answered, "From UA too! My name is Nejire Hadou, I'm a third year." She explained with a bright, childishly curious smile.

"Nejire Hadou..." Adachi trailed off in thought, "I think I heard of you, during the Third Year's part of the Sports Festival." He said, not remembering much else, "So you're like a full time intern?"

Before she could answer, the sound of footsteps drew their attention to the nearby stairs. Coming down was the Hero Adachi had been looking for, Ryuko Tatsuma, otherwise known as the Dragon Hero, Ryukyu. Like Adachi, Ryuko was a woman with a few reptilian features such as slit pupils and sharp teeth. Her hero costume consisted of a traditional, flowing qipao with scale motifs, a headband adorned with a claw-like accessory and decorative wings on the back of her head, topped off with spiked earrings.

"Hi Ryu!" Hadou waved bouncing towards her excitedly, "About time you caught up!"

Ryukyu chuckled at her, stopping and placing a hand on her hip, "I was under the impression we'd been greeting our new guest together but you got impatient." She said with amusement coloring her voice, before her eyes shifted to their new arrival with a smile, "I hope Hadou didn't bother you too much, she can be a bit much sometimes and is especially curious around new people."

Adachi sweatdropped, before he nervously chuckled, "N-No really it was no bother at all," He bowed his head politely, "I'm Kaiji Adachi, here for my internship."

She nodded her head, "Yes I know, and I'm glad you chose to come to my Agency, I'm sure you had a lot of offers after your victory in the festival."

Adachi nervously rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I'm glad I spotted yours as early as I did, certainly saved me a lot of time."

Ryukyu nodded, "Anyways, come with me I'll show you to your room where you'll be staying." She waved for him to follow, Hadou walking right alongside her as they headed for the stairs once again.

Adachi followed behind them, _"I didn't think she'd be so... Nice, and I didn't realize how young she was."_ He thought to himself as he walked, the way she spoke was so kind and gentle, she had this aura around her that just made Adachi feel safe, _"Maybe I was nervous over nothing..."_

"To be honest, I was pretty surprised when I read your file," Ryukyu admitted as they made the climb, "Former Hero for a Father, and Former Villain for a Mother?" She chuckled, shaking her head, "You've certainly got an interesting family... Tell me, how is Jade doing nowadays?" She asked as they got off the stairs on the second floor, she lead him past a kind of lounge area that had a big TV and an area for cooking, similar to the one Adachi had seen in the lounge on the first floor.

"O-Oh uh... She's fine," Adachi assured, surprised at how familiar she was with his mother, "She was released just before the Festival, she was there actually."

"A villain at the festival!" Hadou gave an exaggerated gasp, "How scandalous~!"

"I suppose that explains the woman screaming for you in the recordings," Ryukyu chuckled in amusement, "Well, I'm glad she's doing alright."

They came to a stop at one of the doors down a long hall, it had a number on it labeling the room. Ryukyu opened it up and urged him inside, but Adachi stopped at the entrance, "You sound like you knew her, but I don't think you're old enough to have been around during her crime spree... Well at least not as a Hero." He pointed out.

"She was already locked up by the time I became a hero yes," Ryukyu confirmed with a nod, "But growing up as a girl who was into anything and everything dragon, I had a certain admiration for her free spirit and her aesthetic," She admitted with a shrug, "From my understanding, she was hardly evil, just an eccentric that liked having fun at the expense of others and well... Excessive amounts of property damage, not that I condone those acts, she needed time locked up to straighten herself out, and I'm sure having a son waiting for her on the outside helped."

"Enough about the past!" Hadou butted in, "Go in! Get changed! I wanna see your costume!" She urged, all but pushing Adachi into his room before shutting the door, Ryukyu not bothering to try and stop her, only laughing as she watched.

Adachi stumbled into his room as the door slammed behind him. He blinked, as if still registering what had happened, before he sighed and began investigating his new room. It was nice, bigger than his room at home. With a bed and a desk though much of it was barren, likely meant to be open for those who were actually working as sidekicks here. But Adachi wouldn't be here for very long, so he didn't have to worry about all that.

The boy set his bag of spare clothes on the bed and opened up the case containing his Hero Costume. It had been some time since he'd gotten to wear it, not since the USJ attack even. He nodded his head and pulled out his outfit before starting to change. It only took a few minutes, before he was placing the kasa hat on his head to top off the costume.

Adachi was still slightly nervous about showing off his outfit to a real pro hero, or to the world even, but he knew the fears would vanish once he did. And so he turned around and looked at himself in the nearby mirror, examining his body for a brief moment. It was subtle, but he could tell he'd begun to show some real muscle definition where before he was just a scrawny pale kid.

 _"I'm doing better, and I'll keep doing better."_ Adachi decided, confidence bolstered as he made his way back to the door and pulled it open bracing himself for judgement.

"Wooooah!" Hadou gasped in awe, visibly taken aback by his new appearance.

Ryukyu nodded, smiling at him, "Now that's more like it, those simple gym clothes they made you all wear at the festival were hardly fitting, you look great."

Adachi blushed bashfully, "Y-You think so?"

"Yeah of course!" Hadou beamed, bouncing forward getting right into Adachi's personal space as she examined his costume, "I like the sash, and the hat! I love the big hat!"

"Hadou what have I said about personal space?" Ryukyu sighed shaking her head, "You're gonna give the poor boy a heart attack."

"Sorry sorry," She sighed stepping back, "He just looks cool! He matches your style perfectly too! You should recruit him, definitely recruit him!" She urged with a grin.

"I-I don't think I'm that good yet!" Adachi argued nervously, calming down a bit, "I uh, appreciate the suggestion though..."

Ryukyu smiled lightly at his humble response, "Hadou, why don't you go on patrol for a bit, while I handle getting our new intern into the motions here."

Hadou pouted, "Alright fine... Have fun!" She waved, smile returning in an instant as she walked off towards the stairs.

"Be careful," Ryukyu added, as she walked off, before sighing lightly and looking back to Adachi, "Don't mind her, she's just excitable, and has the curiosity of a kindergartner." She added with a small chuckle, "Anyways, follow me and I'll show you around."

"Right." He nodded, smiling and following behind her as she began to walk the facility.

"This floor is mostly just quarters," She explained, "We work with heroes in other districts often, and allow those under criminal threat to take shelter here so I like to have the open space to accommodate as many people as I can." Ryukyu explained as they reached the stairs, "Bottom floor is the entrance lounge, where we take in missions and get reports, also acts as a more casual meeting area with its own kitchen, there is also a training area if you feel like loosening up or getting some work in when you're not out on patrol."

"That must be useful." Adachi nodded, eyes memorizing the layout of this place as they went and began climbing up to the next floor.

"Third floor is where we do the technical stuff," The hero continued as they climbed, "Analyzing reports, keeping an eye on security feeds, going over footage to find clues and hints to what criminals are up to."

The floor had a lot of computers, and was mostly open space with tables and monitors set up, _"How many people are usually here?"_ Adachi had to wonder, but his thoughts stopped as he noticed a big TV with video of the sports festival playing, "What is... Is that me?" He asked confused, walking towards the screen.

"It sure is," Ryukyu nodded, "You see, I've had my eye on you since the festival," She admitted casually, "There was a lot of great young talent in your class, but you showed me something I wasn't expecting to find at your young age." She grabbed a remote, fast forwarding to the end of his first match, when he helped up Ashido, then to his second match when he gave a hand to Tokoyami, and finally to his last match when rather than flattening Todoroki he pushed him out with a simple, harmless shove. "You showed some excellent sportsmanship, the likes of which I wasn't expecting to see." She explained, "And don't even get me started on your match with Ryou." She chuckled shaking her head.

Adachi blinked in surprise, "I guess... But what does that have to do with anything?"

"A lot of Heroes nowadays are forced to look at each other as competition," Ryukyu explained, "Part of the Sports Festival is to remind everyone that in the real world pros have to fight to stand out, and often step on each other to remain on top." She sighed and shook her head, "I don't like it, but that's just how it is... But then I saw you," She smiled up at him, "A fine young boy who never boasted or bragged, you offered your rivals a hand in their defeat without a second thought, you understand that even if there can only be ONE person on top, that doesn't mean everyone below them is worth any less."

"Wow I... I guess never thought of it like that," Adachi admitted nervously, not feeling so deserving of the praise, "I guess I just... Did what felt natural?"

"And that makes it all the better," She shrugged, "That you can act like that without a second thought, it hopefully means you can get along with most any other pros in times of crisis, which is a valuable skill to have." Ryukyu let the words sink in for a moment before continuing, "Anyways, lets get down to the technical stuff, things you'll need to learn about being a real professional hero, the business aspect."

Adachi nodded his head, ready to get down to business, "Teach me everything!"


	20. The World of Pros! Shifting Shadows

**Dark White Fang: Gave me a good chuckle thank you lol**

 **Vedahzii: I'm glad I was able to capture her childish curiosity and funside well enough :D And I agree XD**

 **ALSO! Notice to everyone that I changed the story name back to the original concept way back in the day. I'm only leaving this note here because back then when I initially did it with the first story I was accused of being a thief because some people don't pay attention to authors notes T~T**

* * *

"As I'm sure you understand, being a hero isn't easy and you can't rely on brute force alone," Ryukyu went on as she lead him to her office on the third floor, "You already showed that you understand that, despite your incredible physical strength you relied more on your wits to overcome a more powerful opponent... However, it isn't all about fighting either," She explained, coming to a stop as she slid into her chair and leaned back, "Take that pen and paper, you've got some notes to write." She ordered with a smirk.

Adachi nodded, eager to learn everything new he could about being a pro. He slid into the seat across from her and picked up the paper, "Teach me everything!"

"First, Pro Heroes are civil servants who receive wages from the Government." She began to explain, "But its a bit more complicated than just that, considering the very nature of Quirks and how we're trained to use them our jobs are quite a bit different and hold an entirely different set of regulations from regular workers."

Adachi was jotting down all that he could, as fast as she was talking he was writing. Though, much of this he already understood from what his father had told him growing up.

"Basic Hero Code is control crime and disasters," Ryukyu went on, turning around and looking out the big window behind her staring out over the sunny city, "When something happens a report is filed, and filtered by district, the reports usually come from the police or fire fighters... Once all is said and done you file a report on the services you provided, criminals arrested, people rescued etc..." She shrugged simply, "Then a separate agency looks at our work and decides how much we should be paid."

Adachi quirked an eyebrow at that, "So being a hero doesn't really have a... Basic salary?" He asked.

"Sort of, usually the Agency gets a fair amount of money based on the work being done, they'll handle your pay." Ryukyu explained, "But once you've settled into a district and gone through a few missions yourself you can usually figure out the average money the type of work you do will earn you... Of course in most cases this might still not be a substantial amount, so additionally Heroes are allowed to have side jobs," She continued with a smile, "There was a lot of debate over that back in the day but in the end Heroes were just too popular to be denied more public appearances and some of the smaller agencies couldn't support themselves without pros taking on extra jobs." Ryukyu paused for a moment after finishing, as if thinking about what she explained, "That covers the basics, the rest you'll likely learn before school is over."

Adachi nodded, tearing off the pages with notes so he could save them for later, "So what exactly will I be doing while I'm here?" He asked curiously.

"I've already got a patrol route scheduled for you," She explained, sliding him another paper, "Crime rates have been pretty low lately, so your job is to walk these streets at the designated time, remind everyone your here, discourage villains and reassure the people."

Adachi took the paper, looking it over and nodding as he memorized the streets. None were too far from the Agency, the furthest edge of the route was only a mile away, if that, "Right, and once I'm finished?" He added, his route only had him working for a few hours, and that would still leave him plenty of daylight.

"Come back here, relax," She shrugged, "I've got a meeting to attend to, I may not be back until late, but the Agency is open to you so eat whatever you want and use the facilities to your hearts content."

"Alright, I'll get ready to head out, thank you." Adachi said as he got up, bowing respectfully before leaving the room. A slight apprehension filling him as he imagined going out on patrol by himself. But like she said the crime rates were low right now, so it likely wouldn't be any trouble, he just had to be on the lookout for suspicious activity... Simple enough, right? Besides, he could handle a few thugs, sure!

"Rizado," He flinched at the doorway, looking back at her, "Breathe, relax, and smile, that's all you need to do." Ryukyu assured, as if she'd read his mind.

He released a short, nervous laugh, "R-Right!"

 **. . .**

Little did any of them know...

Their quaint little section of city was about to become the convergence point for plans weeks in the making.

"Their scheduled to arrive some time tomorrow." A large man wrapped in bandages explained, stepping up to the darkly lit throne in the center of the room, "His information checks out."

A wicked, amused smirk spread across the lips of the one occupying the throne. Before she rose to her feet, and approached the man hanging by his ankles in the center, "You hear that? Seems you aren't completely useless after all..."

She had short white hair on half of her head, the other half was jet black. Her skin was tanned, but covered in white lines of symbols written in Chinese. Her eyes were different colors, the left golden and the right a slightly glowing purple. She was fit, athletic in build with well defined muscles beneath a black, skin tight jumpsuit that covered her body from her thighs to her shoulders, the rest of her arms and legs were exposed aside from a pair of gold metal bracers and boots.

"F-Fuck you... Crazy bitch..." The man grumbled, blood dripping from a split lip and broken nose. The information extraction had obviously painful...

"Aww, still acting so tough," A shrill voice rang out from nearby, as the thin form of a woman hovered into view from the darkness. Dressed like a fallen angel, wearing ragged clothes that made up a faded white dress over her pale body, "Should I make him cry again?"

"That won't be necessary Angel," The woman in charge chuckled, "He's useless to us now, it would be a waste of your time..."

"Yeah... But it would still be fun."

She smirked and slashed through the air with her hands making the bound man fall to the ground face first. He hit hard, cursing and sputtering as he rolled around on battered limbs, "Get him out of here..."

He was panting heavily, and stared up at her with sharp, questioning eyes, "You're... Letting me go?"

"Of course, I would rather you damn sharks get what you came for and get out of my territory." She shrugged simply, "But consider our little talk a warning," She added, pressing her foot down onto his damaged legs making him hiss in pain, "Get your shit, and get out, or I'll pick you apart one limb at a time."

"Gah! Y-Yes we'll get out as soon as we can I promise!" He barked fearfully while writhing in pain, until she raised her foot.

The large bandaged man unchained him, picking him up before Angel floated over, "Hold still~!" She grinned wickedly, placing her hands on him before suddenly his wounds were cured at rapid pace. The man looking at her in shock as all the pain vanish from his body, "There! All better! Hahah~!"

"Uh... Thank you?" He answered nervously, looking over his once damaged form.

"Show him the door." The woman in charge ordered, as one of her thugs approached from the sidelines, leading him to the nearest exit.

But the moment she was sure he was out of earshot, the large bandaged man spoke, "So how do you want to approach this?"

"We need more information," She answered simply, turning around and walking towards a board on the wall covered with pictures and other bits of info they'd gathered, "The dogs won't be giving us anything else... So lets see what we can find from the Dragon."

"You think they'll go there and not the police?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, they'll most certainly go to the police first," She chuckled in amusement, "And the police, spineless as they are, will turn to their strongest ally... Set up a listening post."

"Ah, I missed you boss~" The angelic villain giggled wickedly.

"Of course you did," She answered with twisted amusement, turning around and looking back at her criminal host, "I'm the motherfucking Zodiac!"

 **. . .**

"Hey! Weren't you in the Sports Festival!?"

Adachi turned his head, laughing nervously as he waved, "Y-Yeah that was me alright." He assured, as a few teens around his age approached. Based on what they were wearing, he had to assume they were from a local high school.

"That's so awesome! What are you doing here!?" The lead of the group asked eagerly.

"I'm interning right now, part of my training," He explained with a smile, "Just out on patrol for Ryukyu."

"You're working with Ryukyu!?"

"That is so cool!"

"So you don't have to do normal school stuff? Lucky!"

So far patrol had been just as easy as Ryukyu said it would be. The streets were calm as people went about their daily lives, nothing notable in the area he was patrolling... In fact, things were weirdly calm. He was almost getting the feeling she'd put him on an easy route, not that he was complaining. In fact, just walking the streets and giving the occasional smile and wave to people who recognized him or acknowledged his hero status was pretty uplifting.

It was an interesting new perspective, being treated by others like he actually had some kind of authority. Mostly people just seemed happy to see him around, or curious that he was a new hero in the area, but he could also tell when they straightened up around him. Some even going as far as to watch what they were saying around him...

 _"I think I get it,"_ He thought as he continued on his way, stopping at the crosswalk and watching the oncoming cars as a crowd waited nearby for the lights to change, _"When I wear this suit... I'm not just another person, I never realized it at school because they were my teachers..."_ The lights changed, the crowd began to move as Adachi watched them, a lot of kids on their way home from school, _"But out here, in the streets, I'm a Hero to these people..."_

He was snapped out of his revelation as tires screeched up the street. His eyes darted up to the source, watching as a car that had just flown around the corner was racing in his direction. Or more specifically, down the center of the street! Behind it, he saw a familiar form emerge from around the corner as well.

"Nejire-Chan!?" He exclaimed, seeing the blue haired heroine in flight chasing after the car as it wildly swerved. Adachi could make out a few people inside the car, though it didn't matter who they were this was clearly a car chase, "MOVE!" He shouted to those in the street, rushing forward to try and intercept the oncoming car, many of the students were frozen in place out of fear.

Adachi got between them, and started to rapidly transform into his hybrid state before pushing further into full beast mode. The car racing towards him didn't hold back, stepping on the gas and intending to run right through him! But the boy wasn't about to back down, if he moved the students behind him would be hit as well! So he charged forward, digging in his claws to the asphalt.

After bracing himself, his grabbed at the car once it was in range, **"Gotchya!"** He growled, lifting it right off the ground to make it stop completely as the thugs inside started screaming at the sight of the giant monster, **"Oh come on you were about to run down a bunch of kids and you're scared of ME!?"** He demanded, rolling his eyes before letting go of the car. It hit the ground hard bouncing around those inside and dazing them, _"I changed so quickly though... It's getting easier, the more I do this the more my body is adapting to it... I barely even feel the strain anymore."_

"Oh my gosh are you alright!?" Nejire-Chan asked worriedly, landing on the roof of the car.

 **"I'm alright."** He assured, looking back at everyone still frozen in the crosswalk, shrinking back down to human form and picking up his hat, "Are you all alright?"

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" A young boy exploded, jumping up and down as the people around started cheering.

Adachi sweatdropped, "Uh, yeah, great, thanks but is everyone okay!?" He asked again, focusing more on the matter at hand.

"They all look fine," Nejire-Chan laughed lightly, jumping down and pulling open one of the car doors as the police cars rounded the corner and pulled up to the scene, "Sorry Rizado, I didn't mean to lead these guys to you." She laughed nervously, "They just kinda got out of hand on my patrol route, but I'm glad I ran into you! Or rather, that _they_ ran into you!" She laughed at her own joke.

Adachi shook his head, "Well, it all worked out I guess, so no big deal." The police began pulling the criminals from their vehicle, they looked like nothing more than common thugs but they didn't put up much of a fight as they'd also been jarred by the crash, "Who were those punks anyways?"

"Just some thugs that robbed a small store across town," One of the officers sighed shaking his head, "We were in pursuit when Nejire-Chan stepped in to help, you heroes saved us a lot of work." He chuckled, offering a hand, "That was a fine job."

Adachi shook his hand firmly, "Just part of the job right?"

"Right," He nodded, eyes shifting to the nearby citizens that were buzzing, "Well, we'll get this cleaned up, thanks for you help."

"No problem," Adachi replied, before turning attention to Hadou who was approaching him as well, "My patrol is almost over, I'm gonna head back to... I guess file a report like Ryukyu said."

She nodded her head, "Good idea! Lets head back and start filing out a report on the incident! I can show you how the paperwork works!" She grinned, grabbing his hand and suddenly taking off into the air.

"AGH!? W-We're flying there!?" The boy cried in dismay, the ground rapidly distancing itself below him.

"Duh!" She answered with a laugh, blasting off towards the Agency, "Its waaay better than walking!"

Though he still had some paperwork to fill out, Adachi was confident his first day working as a real hero had gone well. It was only going to be for a week, but he was excited to see what else he could learn from the experience. He was also eager to hear about what his companions were doing once all this way over. For now though, he had to learn as much as he could to do better, and work towards his goal as a hero.

But everything was not all fun and smiles for a hero, and Adachi would be forced to accept that reality sooner than he thought...


	21. First Mission! Adachi the Babysitter?

**DrakeDragon297: Yeah between Zodiac, Jade and Ryukyu we have a lot of crazy Dragon Ladies in play XD**

 **IVReal: Unfortunately nothing as great as the "Battle that never happened" Can appear in this story, but I'm hoping the events coming up will be good :3**

* * *

"Hows the internship going?"

"Ounergihbsdfgoiweibhdsf"

"Okay I know its early but you can give me more than just mashing the keyboard."

"Sousfgdkjbhwqgpojidbjk"

"Alright, guess I'll text you again after morning patrol and see if you're awake."

Adachi tucked his phone into his belt after sending the last message to Ashido, chuckling and shaking his head as he finished putting on the last few pieces of his costume and made his way out the door of his room. Stretching a bit to shake off all that remained of his tiredness, whatever the shower hadn't already gotten rid of anyways, before making his way to the stairs.

It was still early morning, on the Third day of his internship at the Ryukyu Agency. After his rather eventful first patrol, things went a bit more smoothly on whatever route Ryukyu gave him. He had two patrol duties, one in the morning and one in the evening. During the in between time he was free to do whatever he wanted at the Agency, but he spent much of that time either using the training facility or studying more on hero code, whatever Ryukyu could tell him, he wanted to know.

There hadn't been any more interesting encounters, no real villainy at work in the area. The most crazy thing Adachi had been apart of so far was a purse snatching, but that was a pretty easy catch. Either way, he was enjoying his time here, and taking to heart whatever he could learn from the pros.

As he stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air, Adachi braced himself for another day. He noticed a car pulled up at the Agency, one he hadn't seen before. Quirking an eyebrow, he looked towards the main area, spotting Ryukyu talking to someone, two people in fact...

The first, and the one primarily talking, was an elder man. He had thinning grey hair atop his head, and was quite short with a big bushy mustache, dressed in a fine black suit. Beside him was a taller girl, she seemed much older than Adachi himself. She wore a simple white summer dress, carrying a small suitcase at her side. She had long raven black hair, and thin athletic body, with sharp green eyes.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt," Adachi greeted as he approached, curiosity getting the better of him, "I was just heading out on patrol."

Ryukyu looked at him briefly, as if hesitating for a moment before smiling, "Why don't you two go get settled, I'll be right in." She assured, urging them towards the door before turning back to him, "Yes, we've got a bit of an odd job coming in at the moment, I'll explain more when you get back... Keep an eye out for anyone suspicious while you're out."

"Yes ma'am." Adachi nodded, not wanting to press the matter. He was getting a strange feeling about their visitors, but figured Ryukyu would explain everything later so he put it at the back of his mind and headed out.

 **. . .**

The next two hours rolled on by with relative ease, nothing more than a few scoundrels loitering that he had to shoo off. So it was a peaceful morning, and his patrol time was almost up. The streets were quiet, nothing but people on their morning commute so he didn't even see too many. Though he did appreciate the peace and quiet, he was kind of hoping he could get more actual experience fighting villains...

Lucky for him, as he was on his way back, passing by the park, an older man approached him, "Excuse me young man?" He asked, leaning on his walking cane, "You're a Hero right?"

Adachi nodded, "Yes I am, what's wrong? Do you need help with anything?" He asked calmly, looking around to see if anything was amiss.

"There were a couple of rough looking fellows asking around the park," He explained, turning and pointing in the direction, "Saying something about looking for someone..."

"Is someone lost or..." Adachi realized what he was getting at by the look on his face and nodded, "Oh, I see... I'll go investigate, thank you." He nodded, walking past him and in the direction he'd pointed. Making his way deeper into the large park, it was still mostly empty this early aside from a handful of people out exercising. So it wasn't long before he spotted a group of men speaking to a young woman dressed in a track suit.

"Not seen them around at all?" The man in the center asked, holding out what must have been a picture to her. He had a shaved head, dressed in simple jeans and a white tank top. The other two were similarly dressed, though one had a beret on top of his head and the last one was wearing a trench coat.

"No, not at all... Maybe you should try asking a hero, if someone has gone missing." She answered, her voice nervous in the presence of these unfriendly looking men.

"Yeah, maybe you should." Adachi said out loud, announcing his presence as he approached them, "You can go ahead on your way ma'am." He looked to the woman, who nodded quickly with a look of relief and kept going, eager to get away from them, "You three, I hear you're looking for someone, maybe I can help."

"Doesn't concern you, we'll be on our way..." The lead man grumbled, narrowing his eyes as he tucked away the photo into his pocket and kept walking.

 _"I think this definitely counts as suspicious."_ Adachi decided, following along with them, "Hey come on you've got someone missing let a Hero help you out!" He offered with a big grin.

"He said piss off brat!" The man in the beret snapped at him, nearly making Adachi flinch as the man half turned back around glaring at him.

His comrade in the trenchcoat placing a hand on his shoulder, "Barry... Not the time." Before looking at the boy, "It ain't a crime to ask questions, no reason to bother us."

Adachi held a leveled gaze with the man for a moment, _"I should report this... Technically speaking they haven't committed any crimes yet."_ He nodded slowly, "I suppose you're right, just stay out of trouble and we won't have any problems." He warned sternly, the first time he'd actually put some tone of authority into his voice.

"Hmph, right..." The man replied, turning away with his comrades slowly and continuing on their way.

As they walked off, Adachi's phone started to buzz. He pulled it out and saw that it was the Agency, having given them his number for easy communication, "Yeah? Sorry I'm late got a little held up."

"No problem, just get back here as soon as you can we've got an important meeting you need to be a part of." Ryukyu explained, before hanging up.

Adachi nodded, putting the phone away and making his way back to the Agency, the faces of those three men remaining firmly in his mind. _"I wonder who those thugs were looking for..."_

 **. . .  
**

Upon returning to the Agency, Adachi noticed a few more cars outside. Two of them were police vehicles no less, as well as the same vehicle that was here earlier. He figured it must have to do with that meeting she mentioned. Nodding his head, he quickly made his way inside and up stairs to the business oriented part of the Agency. As he ascended the stairs he could already here talking from voices he didn't recognize...

"Good you're back." He was greeted by Nejire-Chan the moment he exited the stairwell, "Come on, we're just getting things started." She said, seeming much less bouncy than usual.

Adachi was lead into a large conference room, one he'd seen before while here. It had a massive oval shaped table in the center with numerous chairs and a few different screens could be projected from the center. A number of chairs were occupied, one by Ryukyu herself, and two more by the older man and young woman he'd seen her talking with this morning. Across from them sat a handful of officers, as well as a man dressed in a more formal suit between them.

"A perfect," Ryukyu perked up a bit as he entered, "Please, come in and take a seat both of you." She ordered, before looking around at the others that had joined at the table, "Everyone, my sidekick Nejire-Chan, and temp from UA, Rizado." She introduced, before motioning to the others around her, "And this is the chief of police," She explained pointing to the man in the formal suit, "Inata Shito, and a few of his most trusted officers... These two," He turned to the apparent civilians in the room, "Are here with some important information about a group of criminals."

"Right," The old man nodded, rising from his seat and nodding to the young heroes, "My name is Kiba Kibari," He explained, "And this is my niece Nagato."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Adachi bowed his head respectfully to them, "Before we being however, Ryukyu," He turned attention towards her, "You told me to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, I encountered a group of men looking for someone in the park."

She blinked in surprise, "Oh really? Hmm, so they're already on the move."

"Just as we thought, they're planning to get in and out," The chief nodded his head, looking to the two civilians, "You got here just in time evidently, seems holding you at the station was a good idea after all."

"Take a seat and we'll discuss the details," Ryukyu stated again, waiting for them both to sit down at empty chairs before continuing, "You see, our guests here have come from out of town seeking help..."

"Are you familiar with Gentek?" The chief asked the two younger heroes.

"Oh I know!" Nejire cried out raising her hand, "They're a pharmaceutical corporation that specializes in niche medicines for Quirk Specific illnesses!"

"That is exactly right," He nodded in response, "Mr. Kibari here was the CEO's Brother."

"Was?" Adachi quirked an eyebrow.

"He was murdered a month ago." The man answered calmly.

Adachi visibly flinched, "Oh I... I'm sorry to hear that." Putting his foot firmly in his mouth, as he noticed the girl beside the older man glaring daggers at him.

Kiba raised his hand, "We will mourn proper once our lives are not in danger, you see my brother was communicating with me secretly the months before his murder," He explained, bringing his hands together on the table in front of him, "He had suspicions that someone in his senior staff was cutting deals behind closed doors and developing Quirk Enhancement Drugs, so he was trying to look into it in secret and get evidence, supposedly he went to the police but we have reason to believe some of the officers in are on the companies payroll."

 _"Quirk Enhancement Drugs,"_ Adachi repeated in his head, "I've heard of those, they can make even weak Quirks incredible unstable and dangerous... That's why they're strictly illegal."

Ryukyu nodded, "That's right, and he must have found something, considering those he suspected to be buying these drugs from his company also happen to be murder suspects."

"But they went into hiding according to the police," The chief continued, crossing his arms, "Unfortunately, we can't do anything about a murder that has already happened... However, we know the gang is going to come after Kibari and Nagato, because according to Mr. Kibari's report, members of the senior staff at Gentek have already been trying to buy out his families shares in the company to gain complete control." Before looking down at the files before him, "Luckily, it seems the sly old bastard actually left all his shares to Kiba."

"And in turn, I have secretly left them to my niece." He explained with a nod, "I started working out this plan shortly after my brothers death, and the pieces are nearly in place." A faint smirk crossed his lips, "I've got a target on my back, so in coordination with the Police Chief, and you Ms. Ryukyu, I believe we can bait and capture these criminals, and oust the members of the senior staff responsible for Tento's murder."

Adachi sweatdropped as the old man finished up, _"This guy is crazy... To plan that all out is..."_ He shook it off, before nodding in agreement, "Just tell us what we need to do to help." This felt real, this felt intense. Like he was about to seriously bust up a major crime operation! It was so cool!

"That's the spirit," Ryukyu nodded with a smile, "We've already got our plan mostly worked out, and knowing these men are looking for them already makes things move a lot quicker..."

"Realistically, we need only capture a few of them to get the confessions we need," The Chief explained, "So the plan is as follows... Under guard from Ryukyu, who will be disguised as a civilian, Kiba will make his way to the train station... Which our offices will be watching over from a distance, and be prepared to guide citizens away from as soon as any fighting begins." Before looking to the students, "And one of you will be working as the bait to find them," He paused briefly, brow furrowing, "Unfortunately, they know what you look like, Rizado, so it'll have to be Ms. Nejire-Chan, who will disguise herself as a civilian, run into these men and point them in the right direction."

"I get to go under cover? Awesome!" Hadou grinned, nodding her head.

"That sounds simple enough," Adachi added, "So what will I be doing? If I can't be out in the field, should I be waiting at the station as back up?"

Ryukyu shook his head, "No, you'll be here guarding Nagato," She explained, "There is still the chance they will see through our plan, or have maybe heard about these two coming here, whatever the case we can't risk her being caught."

 _"So I'm babysitting..."_ Adachi thought, heart sinking for a moment before he shook it off, "R-Right, I can handle that." He nodded.

"We are counting on you Young Heroes," Kiba nodded to them both, "As well as you, Ryukyu, and the Officers of this district.

Ryukyu stood up from her chair, "The Operation begins tonight, so take the time to get yourselves prepared, we could have a very long night ahead of us."

Adachi stood up along with her, "Should I make any preparations?"

Ryukyu chuckled lightly, "Relax, we'll have you on standby but this sounds like it'll be a simple in and out, so enjoy a night off, that's an order." She added with a smile, patting him on the back.

Adachi sweatdropped, but nodded his head, "Yes ma'am..."


	22. An Old Evil, The Zodiac Gang

Later that evening, as the sun was just setting beyond the city skyline and clouds blocked out would be starlight, Adachi found himself on edge. Nejire-Chan and Ryukyu had already left in their prospective roles, both dressed not as heroes but simple civilians, while the police were getting things ready at the station. If all went well, Nagato and her Uncle would be heading home by morning much safer than they had been in some time.

 _"And here I am..."_ Adachi thought, unable to get over this strange feeling of... Being held back, out of his head. He wasn't sure why, he'd never felt this way before but found himself wishing he could be out there working with the others. The boy doing his best to shake it off, as he walked away from the window and back towards the dining area where Nagato was sitting quietly, "How're you holding up?" He asked, unsure really how to approach a woman in her position.

"Just great," She answered, voice dripping with sarcasm already, "We're finally going to catch the bastards that murdered my Father, and I don't even get to be there for it..."

"Well, I suppose we've got one thing in common then," Adachi answered, nervously smiling, "I'm pretty bummed about being stuck here too..."

"Hmph, is that right?" Nagato didn't bother waiting for a response, brushing her hair aside, "So, you're that big star that won the UA Sports Festival right?"

Adachi shifted nervously, "I... Wouldn't call myself a big star."

"Well, luckily your ego hasn't inflated to the level of some other heroes I know..." She scowled down at the suitcase in front of her.

The boy hesitated for a moment, still in costume he removed his hat and took a seat at the end of the table giving her plenty of space, "Yeah, about that, I was wondering... Why didn't you go to the heroes in your own district? I'm sure some Agency could have-"

"Tried, and they sent us away or too the police because we didn't have substantial evidence." She cut him off sharply, "For all I know, some of them are on the payroll of the Gentek Senior Staff as well."

Adachi slowly set his hat down, not really sure what to say at this point, "I'm sorry... About your Father," He said calmly, before quickly adding as he noticed she was about to respond, "I know what I say may not mean much, but... Well, my own Father suffered a serious injury when I was a baby, and I've had to grow up watching him deal with that, that hurts me enough as it is but... I can't even imagine what it would be like if he were killed."

Nagato wasn't interested in talking about herself, she just wanted this mess taken care of. So she took the opportunity to learn more about her apparent bodyguard, "What happened to him?"

"Long story short, mom was a former villain," He started to explain, "She went a little crazy right after I was born, and tried to run off with me... Dad went after her, but had a run in with a pro hero along the way... While my Dad was trying to protect my Mother he ended up paralyzed from the waist down." Adachi sighed and shook his head, "Mother went to jail, father ended up in a wheel chair and the hero got a slap on the wrist."

"That's... Pretty rough," Nagato answered, losing a bit of her edge as she looked at the kid, "Must have been a pretty big hero, to get away with something like that."

"Yeah, but I'd like to think I got my shot at him," Adachi added, faint smile returning to his face, "After all, I got to beat his son in the finals of the Sports Festival."

Nagato smirked in amusement, "Nice, that must have been pretty cathartic... What did she say your name was? Rikido?"

"Rizado," Adachi corrected with a nod, glad to have eased some tension between them, "Hero in training."

"Nagato, its a pleasure." She offered in response, getting up from her seat and stretching, "Anyways, lets flip on the news, see if anythings started yet."

Adachi blinked, "Oh right that's a great idea!" He quickly grabbed the nearest remote, aiming it at the wall mountain flat screen and hitting the power button. The channel was on the news by default, as it helped keep them up to date.

"Coming to you live over the Inaba Train Station, where a fight seems to have broken out between hero Ryukyu and a group of unnamed villains!" The reporter, a young man, explained through a headset as their chopper flew over a large tower of smoke that emanated from a hole in the building below, "Police arrived on the scene incredible fast! And appear to be escorting civilians to safety while Ryukyu handles the villains!"

"So things have already started." Nagato muttered, eyes glued to the TV, trying to spot the enemy anywhere she could amidst the chaos.

It was dark outside now, as Adachi briefly looked towards the window, "I'm sure it'll be taken care of quickly..." Walking towards it slowly, he stopped as he neared the edge. Eyes darting to several black vans parked outside the building and a number of people flooding the street, "What the..."

"What's up?" Nagato asked, quirking an eyebrow as she looked towards him, "Something wrong?"

The hair on the back of his neck stood up suddenly, and his head whipped around to the sound of footsteps approaching from the far hall. A man was walking towards them, dressed only a tank top and a pair of jean shorts. His head was shaved bald aside from a spiky Mohawk running down the center, but was also colored with various tattoos imitating lightning bolts, "Aww... And here I was hoping I could get in nice and close, and give you both the stungun treatment before you noticed me!" He snickered, voice shrill and twisted, as sparks of electricity danced between his fingers.

The woman herself was backing away towards Adachi, holding her suitcase close to her chest, "Wh-Who are you!?"

"Nagato RUN!" Adachi commanded, moving forward swiftly, "Get upstairs! And use one of the communicators to call Ryukyu! We're under attack!"

As he shouted, the man before them suddenly pulled out a syringe of strange green liquid from his belt and stabbed it into his arm. Suddenly, the lightning dancing around his fingers began to spread throughout his entire body. The mans eyes widening like a crazy person, veins bulging as he began to laugh, "And now the FUN BEGINS!" He slapped his hand against the wall, in a flash of light, every single electronic device in the building shorted out. Screens exploding and every device left on an open surface was ruined!

"What was that?!" Nagato demanded in fear, seeing as the attack hadn't actually hit either of them, lights going out all around and leaving them in near darkness.

"That was me getting rid of any SOS you two might try to fire up," He snickered, lightning still dancing around his body as he walked towards them, "Now, time for the STUN GUN!" Before breaking into a dead sprint towards them.

Adachi grit his teeth, changing to hybrid form as he ran forward to meet the man, _"He released the power through his hands, that seems to be where the electricity focuses!"_ He analyzed, watching as the man started reaching out for him while the distance closed, _"He might not be able to use his power through his entire body like Kaminari does!"_

"TIME TO FRY LIZARD BOY!" He laughed wickedly, reaching out to grab Adachi by the neck.

But the boy moved fast enough to catch him by the wrists, "Gotchya!" He snarled in a lower voice, "Who the hell are you!?" He demanded, turning and slamming him against the wall but keeping his grip firm, "And who are you working for!?"

"Agh! H-Hey freakshow that hurts!" He sneered as Adachi pinned him against the wall, "I'm Junkie, and I work for the REAL Dragon Queen! Not that bitch you call Ryukyu!" He aimed his hands at Adachi, forcing the boy to let go as the sparks started to shoot out at him, the boy backstepping to avoid them, "And the Zodiac Gang is here to take what we want!" The moment Adachi stopped moving, the man lunged for him again and this time the boy wouldn't be able to get out of the way from this close, "NOW YOU'RE DE-" But his voice was cut off, instead of running Adachi spun around broadsiding the man with his tail and sent him flying into the kitchen, where he crashed into the shelves knocking over all kinds of dishes.

Adachi didn't waste any time, looking to Nagato, "We have to get upstairs." And began heading in their direction, "Before more of them get inside."

As he grabbed her arm, Nagato appeared shaken from her hesitation and nodded, "R-Right lets... Lets move!"

 **. . .**

Sitting in her chair on the edge of a large building overlooking the Agency, the Zodiac watched the operation below through floating holo screens projecting from a device before her, "Well so much for a stealth attack..." Her men and women in the street setting up impromptu barricades to block the road. No less than two or three dozen thugs, most of them were expendable pawns but ones she was planning to make good use of.

"Orders ma'am?" Another voice responded over her communicator.

"What do you mean orders?" She scoffed, leaning back in her seat, "Get in there and capture the girl! I'll keep an eye out for little Ryukyu, and jump in if she tries to intervene, NOW GET TO WORK!"

 **. . .**

As they were stepping out of the stairwell and onto the second floor, Adachi looked around quickly to see if any more infiltration had occurred, "Are you alright?" He asked, looking back around at Nagato.

"Am I alright!?" She repeated, glaring daggers at him, "Who the HELL was that guy!? What's going on!? I thought Ryukyu and the Chief said they didn't know about me being here! And nobody should know about me holding the shares!"

"I'm not DONE YET!" A familiar figure suddenly burst out of the stairwell, lunging at the pair with his arms outstretched, "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Adachi was barely fast enough, using his tail to shove Nagato out of the way while getting into the villains path. Both his hands latched onto Adachi's forearms, and before the boy could counter like before an intense electrical current began flowing from the villain into him, "AAAAAAGH!" He cried out in pain, whole body writhing as Junkie locked his grip, laughing like a mad man as he electrocuted the boy.

"RIZADO!" Nagato cried out in horror, paralyzed with fear and forced to watch.

"Yes YES! FRY! Fry you STUPID LIZARD!" His voice was manic, with wild eyes like he was riding some kind of high. But suddenly, the current began to slow down, power decreasing as fear began to spread across Junkie's face, "Dammit! Already!? What kind of cheap shit is this!?" He demanded, looking down at his belt, "Need another boos- Gah!" He gasped, as Adachi's tail suddenly wrapped around his neck, his eyes darting back up and staring into the boys deep glowing blue ones, "H-Hey now... Lets not do anything rash..." He managed to choke out, as the grip around his neck tightened.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Adachi roared furiously turning and running at full speed towards the nearest wall. His instincts had kicked in and he was instantly over any reservations about hurting these villains, _"I'm fighting to stay alive DAMMIT!"_ With a mighty roar, he slammed the man as hard as he could, smashing him right through the wall with all his might creating an explosion of dust and drywall, before stumbling back and wincing in pain. His entire body was still reeling from the electric shock, he felt numb but it was slowly ebbing away.

The villain however, didn't move at all. Knocked out fully and laying in a pile of rubble...

"K-Kid are... You alright?" Nagato asked, taking a shaky step forward, her frustrations vanishing as she looked at the boy.

"Hrngh..." Adachi winced, forcing himself forward towards the villain. He ripped the mans belt off, throwing it across the floor before looking for any sign of ID or information, "Dammit... He doesn't have anything else on him, not even a phone we could use."

Nagato herself watched the belt fly and land on the ground. She approached it slowly, kneeling down beside it and looking through the pockets.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking back at her.

"Oh just... Checking for a wallet or something on his belt," Nagato replied quickly, standing back up, "Couldn't find anything, so what do we do now?"

"We've gotta find a way to contact the others," Adachi answered, "That freak supposedly fried all the electronic devices in the building, and they're probably watching the doors... Lets head up, we can search the top floor to see if anything was undamaged." He decided, beginning to lead the way to the other stairwell, _"And if we can get to the roof, I can fully transform and just make a jump for it with Nagato, that might be our best option for escape!"_

But they didn't get very far, as the shattering of glass signaled a new arrival. As if he had repelled in from the roof above, a large man in a duster, covered in bandages was now rising to his feet before them. The man was massive! He must have been standing at least eight feet tall! But his body lanky, long and emaciated in appearance with bandages tight to his form.

"Make this is easy and surrender." He ordered in a cold, raspy voice that sent a chill down Adachi's spine. Despite his intimidating appearance, he was much calmer and collected than Junkie.

"Not gonna happen," Adachi answered, narrowing his eyes at the man while holding his position between him and Nagato, "Now lets get started so I can put your ass through a wall like your stupid friend!"

"As you wish..." The man answered, his empty eyes beginning to light up red, "Bathe in fire!" He raised a hand towards them both, it suddenly ignited with a terrifying blood red flame. Hissing sounded from his arm, as the skin boiled and melted away beneath the bandages, before a mighty torrent of flames was unleashed and began racing towards them scorching the walls and floor around it.

"Move!" Adachi ordered, wrapping a tail around Nagato and breaking off in a dead sprint for a nearby room to try and avoid the fire. The fiery blast followed them through the doorway, scorching against Adachi's back and making him cry out in pain as the two stumbled through into darkness, the fires dying out and leaving them in silence, now in one of the guest rooms.

"R-Rizado! Are you alright?" Nagato asked, as the boy forced himself up to his hands and knees.

 _"My back... He burned right through my scales!"_ Adachi winced, struggling to hold his composure, "D-Don't worry about me... We've gotta keep moving." He panted, struggling to get up as he turned back towards the door, footsteps approaching, "I'm going to... To make an opening, when I do, run down the hall to our right, that should take you to the stairs... Get up there and hide..."

"But what about you?" Nagato asked worriedly, watching the blood running down his back and soaking into his sash.

"This is my job," He answered, despite his own doubt, "You can't get captured, no matter what I can't let that happen... So forget about me, and get ready to RUN!" The footsteps were just outside the door, and Adachi broke into a dead sprint towards it.

"You're never going to surv- Hnngh!?" He stopped and went wide eyed, just turning to corner to see the large lizardman racing towards him. After leaving him with such a burn, the villain hadn't expected the boy to even be moving at this point let alone going on the attack! "Uuf!" He gasped, as Adachi buried his shoulder in the tall mans gut, carrying him right off his feet and slamming him into the opposing wall.

"NAGATO RUN!"

Adachi was running on fear and adrenaline, he was lost in uncertainty trying to figure out what to do. So he was doing the only thing he knew might work out, and fight.

But how long would that work? How long until he ran out of options, until his injuries were too severe...

How much time did he have before they killed him?


	23. Desperate Escape, Hanging On By A Thread

**Raidentensho: I've actually never seen Fairy Tale, always wanted to though lol but we'll just have to see how Adachi handles his current situation ;3**

* * *

"Gah! Y-You stupid BITCH!" The beret wearing thug cried out as the winds gusting from Ryukyu's mighty dragon wings nearly blew him away.

"This is bad Barry," The man trench coat wearing criminal added, backing away steadily as he nursed a badly broken arm, "W-We've gotta get Monaka and get out of here!"

"You two aren't going anywhere!" Ryukyu roared, her voice thundering throughout the station as she took another heavy step towards them.

The thugs were backed into a corner, police and a giant dragon blocking any hope of escape. They couldn't fight against these numbers, and with the boss already captured it was over. The two men lowered their guards, raising their hands slowly, "Dammit... Dammit!" Barry cried out in anger, as the police moved in.

With the fighting coming to a halt, Ryukyu reverted to human form and sighed in relief looking around the busted up station. Rubble and a few broken pillars littering the floor, "Well, not a pretty win, but a win." She nodded with a smile.

"Heeeey!" The voice of Hadou cut through the air, the girl had managed to change into her costume after leading the men here, "Looks like I'm a bit late, but nice work!" She beamed, "Mission Success!"

"Yes, Kiba and Nagato should be safe for now, and with these men under interrogation its only a matter of time before we have what we need to put away the Senior Staff members responsible for the murder." Ryukyu nodded, placing her hands on her hips, "You should head back, let Rizado know how things went."

"Ryu-Ryukyu!" The voice of the Chief cut in suddenly, the man running towards them, panting for breath, "Th-The Agency, _Your_ Agency! It's under attack!"

"Under attack!?" Ryukyu exclaimed, eyes widening.

"Some gang has shown up there, setting up roadblocks around the front of the building," He explained, still trying to catch his breath, "A-And the power has been completely cut, we've got men en route at the moment but somebody must have already gotten inside."

"Dammit, we've got to go," Ryukyu nodded, moving past him to the exit, "Find out if those men know anything, and hurry! Nejire-Chan lets go!" She ordered, clearing the building and turning into her dragon form, taking off into the sky as Hadou followed close behind her taking flight as well.

 _"Adachi... Please be okay!"_

 **. . .  
**

"NAGATO RUN!"

But just as the words left his mouth, the main raised an arm aiming right for the girl who was already in full sprint down the hall. The man hadn't hesitated at all, his arm lighting up with fire and dripping blood, "She dies first then."

"NO!" Adachi broke away in an instant, diving to block the fire and crying out in pain as it burned into his chest. He winced in pain, gritting his teeth as his seared skin smoked lightly and filled the air, "Ngh! D-Dammit..." He muttered, struggling to keep it together as the terrible burning pain covered his chest and back now.

"How predictable, you knew we were here for her and you honestly still thought we'd risking killing her?" He asked, moving forward quicker than Adachi could defend against. His lanky fingers wrapped around the lizard mans throat, lifting him right off the ground and gripping like a vice, "You're the only one in our way now, but not for much longer... I can't believe Junkie let a brat like you get the best of him."

His grip was tightening, Adachi was running out of air. But he wasn't out of tricks yet, lashing out with his tail he attempted to strike the man's ribs.

"Not this time." His body stiffened, as the villain caught his tail effortlessly. For someone so scrawny, he was incredibly strong, "Don't struggle, just accept your death child." He turned around, slamming Adachi against the wall and forcing more of his dwindling breath out of his body.

 _"I-I can't... He's too strong I-I'm going to..."_ Adachi's vision was getting blurry, he could feel himself fading as this giant of a man choked the life out of him.

"LET HIM GO!" Nagato cried out, attack from behind with a wooden chair and slamming it against the villains back as hard as she could. Causing the seat to shatter into nothing but shards against his body.

The man flinched and stumbled a bit, grip loosening just barely enough. But he continued holding Adachi in place while turning halfway towards her, "Ah, good, you haven't run off, that'll make this easier."

Nagato stumbled back, fear filling her eyes as the man seemed unfazed by her attack.

 _"No... I-I can't die here..."_ His heart was racing, heat rising in his belly, "I... I am not dead YET!" He managed, eyes lighting up as did the spines along his back as he opened his mouth wide.

"What?!" The villain's eyes widened, watching as a torrent of blue flames erupted from Adachi's mouth, engulfing his upper body, "Aaaagh!" He cried out in pain, stumbling back and trying to wipe away the flames as they burned into his skin and torched his clothes and bandages.

Adachi hit the floor, coughing painfully as he tried to regain his breath. Nagato was at his side in an instant, grabbing him by the arm and pulling, "Come on! We've gotta move!" She commanded.

"R-Right!" Adachi managed, blood running from his mouth as the flames had done just as much damage to his own body. He moved with Nagato, forcing himself up and moving as they made way for the stairs beginning to ascend to the next level, the final level.

 **. . .**

Zodiac laughed lightly in her chair, shaking her head as she watched the show playing out before her via camera's attached to her men, "Come now Fenix, I told you not to let your guard down... Very well, Vector, get in there and finish them off... Angel, see to Fenix and Junkie."

"Yes ma'am." The two answered over the comm.

In the streets below, police were in a standoff with various man in indescript uniforms. They didn't look like thugs but regular men and women off the street. Armed with either guns or using Quirks to hold the line and keep Police Back.

"Our window is closing here people," Zodiac reminded, a few raindrops falling from above as she sighed, "And now its raining, lovely, so very dramatic... Get it done and get out, I won't risk my ass for slackers!"

 **. . .**

"Don't stop..." Adachi ordered, limping behind Nagato as they neared the next floor, "The roof... Get me to the roof..." He managed, having trouble speaking after using his fire. His voice was raspy, and hurt his throat. His entire body was sore, chest and back both terribly burned by the flaming mans attacks, and the electricity from earlier hadn't left him unscathed either.

"What? Why?" Nagato asked, but didn't argue, helping him up the next flight so they could make it all the way to the top of the building.

"If... If I can get to an open space I can... Transform, heal my body... Be stronger." He explained as best he could, _"But even if I do, I'm not sure how much energy I'll even have left to fight, I need back up now!"_

As Nagato pushed the door open, the sound of rainfall filled their ears. It was almost refreshing compared to the choking silence of the empty building below. She helped him out onto the roof, the boy starting to stand on his own two feet, _"This kid... He's barely even standing, just trying to protect me... Maybe if I gave myself up they wouldn't-"_

"Ah, perfect timing." A new voice rang out, smooth and clear cutting through the sound of rain and fighting in the streets below.

Adachi's eyes darted to the man at the far end of the roof. Aside from the white hair, red eyes and pale skin he looked completely average. Wearing a simple black shirt over a fit body, with black jeans and a pair of sneakers, _"Dammit! One of them was waiting for us here!?"_

"Glad I decided to have Angel drop me off here," He chuckled, carrying a casual smile, "Now lets just make this simple, hand over the girl and I won't kill you, how does that sound?" He asked, spreading his arms wide, "I'm not really into killing kids, and you seem nice, so don't make this harder than it needs to be."

Adachi narrowed his eyes, _"He's confident, same as the other two... But there's something else,"_ He noted, watching the man before he blinked in surprise, _"He's... Completely dry?"_ Adachi realized, it was hard to tell but it almost looked like the raindrops were bouncing off before hitting his body, _"Does that have something to do with his Quirk?"_ He wondered, keeping a leveled gaze as he stepped forward, "I don't think so..." He rasped out, holding his ground.

Vector quirked an eyebrow, before chuckling in amusement, "Really? Damn, you're one cool kid... I mean, look at you!" He pointed his finger like a gun.

"Hnngh!" Adachi's eyes widened, feeling a piercing pain strike his left kneecap, nearly making him fall to his knees.

"Barely standing," Vector's casual smile turned far more sinister, "And still thinking you've got even a ghost of a chance."

"Grah!" Adachi gasped, his other knee taking the same hit, his balance teetering.

"But let me be brutally honest here kid, even at your best," Vector's face now split by a twisted sneer as he raised his other hand as well, "You wouldn't stand a chance against me."

"Aaaagh!" Adachi cried out in pain, as his body was suddenly barraged by the strange invisible bolts, hitting him over and over, covering every inch of the front of his body. The only thing keeping him standing was his desire to protect Nagato, and his claws dug into the floor below.

"Pretty amazing right?" Vector laughed as he approached the two, continuing to fire, "My Quirk is called Redirection, I can alter and direction and magnify the speed of any object that gets close enough to my body!" His barrage came to a stop, as he stood only a few feet from Adachi, the boy falling to his knees, "Feels like I've been shooting you, but really I'm just pelting you with high speed rain drops! Isn't that twisted!?"

"Rizado!" Nagato cried out, moving to his side.

Adachi was panting, eyes downcast, body numb with pain, "HRAAAAH!" He lunged forward, swinging his right fist as hard as he could. But Vector didn't even flinch, "AAAAAGH!" Adachi screamed, grabbing his right arm by the wrist as the attack back lashed, snapping his arm bones like twigs, and leaving it a broken, twisted mess.

"Even works on other people," Vector chuckled, looking down at him, "There's a gap between us boy, one that you can't hope to match with brute force," He explained, Nagato forced to watch, "It's experience, I've got years of training with my Quirk under my belt, its so natural I redirect objects to their opposite direction without even thinking! While you... You're just a brat, who's got a long way to go..." He raised his finger gun, aiming for Adachi's head, "But, you're never going to get there, not when I blow a hole in your head."

"Stop!" Nagato cried out, stepping forward towards him, "Please! I-I'll go quietly if you let him live!" She assured, holding up her hands.

Vector quirked an eyebrow, "You aren't really in the bargaining position are you? Hmm, fine... Not like this brat is a threat to us, deal."

Adachi raised his head weakly looking at her, glad that the rain running down his face masked the tears in his eyes, "N-Nagato... No..."

"It's okay," She assured, trying to keep a strong face, "It's... It's just money..." Her hair matted down by the rain, as she watched him with guilt filling her eyes, "Ryukyu is going to catch those thugs at the station so... M-My dad's gonna be avenged anyways so... It's okay right?"

As he looked up at her, seeing that fear in her eyes, feeling this sense of failure weighing on him. Something began to rise within his chest, something he'd felt before. Adachi felt a dull throbbing inside his head, his own heartbeat thrumming inside of him like a drum, _"I can't..."_ He grit his teeth, feeling completely useless, _"I have to do... SOMETHING!"_ His eyes began to glow, "NAGATO!"

"What!?" Vector gasped, as Adachi suddenly lunged for the girl. Wrapping his tail around her waist and lifting her up, racing towards the edge of the building, "Not so fast brat!" He ordered, raising a hand to start shooting again, "Ngh! What the fuck!?" He demanded, watching as the boy used Nagato as a shield, keeping her between himself and the villain as he ran, _"Dammit, if I shot and injured her, Zodiac would have my head!"_ He started sprinting after them, "GET BACK HERE YOU BRAT! WHAT KIND OF A HERO USES A HOSTAGE AS A SHIELD!?"

"Rizado what are you doing!?" Nagato called out, the duo nearing the buildings edge.

"HANG ON!" The boy cried out, leaping from the edge of the building with all the strength he had left...


	24. One Last Chance, The Beast Unleashed

"Down there!" Nejire-Chan cried out, pointing to the streets below, where the police were engaged in a stand off with criminal forces.

"We've got to get in there and help!" Ryukyu called back, flying lower as she neared the scene. But just as she was closing in, she spotted figures on the roof of her Agency, "Wait! Up there!"

"It's Rizado and Nagato! We have to help them!" Nejire replied, angling herself into a dive towards the rooftop.

The dragoness' eyes widened as she followed behind her, flying towards the scene. In the streets below she could see the fight breaking out between the gathered criminals and police forces. But before she could focus too much on that scene, she spotted something fly over the buildings edge, "Rizado!" She gasped, closing in fast as she picked up speed. Reaching out with her claws, she caught the duo out of the air, "Rizado! Nagato! Are you both alright!?" She felt a fear creeping up her spine as she felt an all too familiar warm liquid seeping from wounds of Adachi's body.

But before either of them could give her an answer, Nejire-Chans voice rang out, "Ryukyu lookout!"

A great weight struck her body from behind, instantly she could feel something sharp digging into her back while forcing her down to the ground. A twisted laughter filling the air, as she was forced down into the street far past her Agency under siege. She knew she had to protect the two in her arms, so she turned partway aiming her back at the ground while the monster on top of her broke off just before hitting. And on impact she felt her left wing break and snap across the concrete, digging into the ground as she slowly came to a halt.

"Oooh that looked rough!" Came a deep, amused voice. Landing just up the street from them was a massive serpentine dragon! It was of Chinese style, long and covered in golden scales with antlers on the back of its head. With both a golden, and purple eye, sharp talons and a long angled snout. After touching down, it shrunk into the form of a woman, "I don't think you'll be flying with those wings anytime soon~"

"No... It can't be..." Ryukyu muttered, fear coiling around her heart as she laid eyes upon a villain she knew only as a part of history, "Zodiac..."

"Ryukyu!" Nejire-Chan cried out, landing beside her as the woman reverted to her human form, "Are you okay!?" She asked quickly, moving to her side before looking to Nagato and Rizado, "Agh! Rizado!" She gasped, seeing his terribly injuries, the burns on his back and chest as well as his mangled right arm.

"He needs an ambulance," Nagato said quickly, getting up on shaky legs after the rough ride. Her own body battered and bruised from the rough landing, "W-We have to hurry!"

The people in the street were scattering, with a villain on the scene and police being drawn to the battle at the Agency they seemed to be alone. Well, at least the heroes were...

"I'm baaaaaack~!" Another female voice sounded behind them, Ryukyu turned towards the source, and blocking the only remaining escape route was the thin frame of Angel. She was landing with her big pale gray wings, holding up both Junkie and Fenix who had been completely healed of all injuries, "And I brought the boys! They're all better~!"

"Good work Angel, go join up with the others and begin extraction." Zodiac smirked wickedly, footsteps behind her signalling the arrival of her last ally, Vector, as he took his place by her side, "You're slipping Vector, he actually almost got away." While Angel flew off into the skies once more towards the Agency.

"Tch, hardly." Vector rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't have let the brat get far."

Ryukyu clenched her fists tightly, looking between the villains that had them now surrounded. With a civilian, a boy in critical condition, and her own injuries there was no way she could fight them all and defend everyone at the same time! _"Dammit! We don't have many options here but..._ _"_ She shot Nejire-Chan a sideways glance, "Get Adachi and Nagato out of here, fly away as fast as you can Nejire-Chan!"

She gasped in horror at the suggestion, "A-Absolutely not! I won't leave you here!"

"Not that you'd get very far anyways." Vector chimed in with a smirk, aiming his finger guns at them both, "Now don't do anything rash, wouldn't want any of these kids to get hurt now would you? Well, more so than one of them already is..."

"You see Ryukyu, here's how this is going to work," Zodiac spoke up, placing her hands on her hips, "We're going to take the girl, and your head," She said casually, "After all, this is my return to the spotlight," She shrugged, "I've got to wow the masses with a glimpse at what happens to any who get in my way... So why don't you just make this easy, and maybe I'll spare your precious sidekicks..."

Nejire-Chan's childish visage had vanished in favor of disgust, "A-As if I'd ever let you-"

"HADOU!" Ryukyu cut her off sharply, using her real name, "Take Adachi, and leave." She ordered, scheming in her head, _"With them out of the way, I at least have a better chance... But I need to buy time for others t-"_

"No, no no no that's not how this is going to work." The Zodiac said suddenly, a twisted smirk on her face, "They need to see, it'll fuel their pathetic little fires, maybe make them actually worthy of challenging me when the time comes... Or maybe it'll break them, I can't wait to see it~"

Nagato was on her knees beside Adachi, tears threatening to spill over as she listened. Things had only gone from bad to worse, and she felt like it was her own fault, "E-Everyone I'm... I'm so sorry..." Under the street lights she could more clearly see Adachi's injuries, and it only made her feel worse.

"Don't give up yet Nagato," Ryukyu was trying to remain strong, but even she couldn't see a way out of this in their current state. Not without serious losses, "We can still get out of this!"

"Lets end this now." Fenix said coldly, approaching slowly with Junkie at his side, "You should have surrendered when you had the chance..."

Nejire-Chan turned to face them, bracing herself for a fight, "Bring it on! I won't let you hurt Ryukyu or anyone else!"

"Like you have a choice! You're all going to DIE!" Junkie laughed in amusement, before having a sudden afterthought, facing twisting in anger, "And I want my shit back! It may have been weak, but it was still damn expensive!" He pointed an accusing finger at Nagato, "Find your own drugs, you little bitch!"

Ryukyu shot her a sideways glance, not wanting to turn away from Zodiac or Vector, "What is he talking about?"

Nagato's eyes widened, "He means the..." Pulling out the syringe she had taken from Junkie's belt. Having tucked it away in secret when searching him, from the moment she'd taken it she knew exactly what it was. The same kind of drug that had caused her family so much trouble, the kind that corrupted her Fathers Senior Staff. She had planned to use it as evidence but... Her fear and frustration was quickly being replaced, as she held the syringe her mind twisted in anger, "This? You want this?" She asked, something suddenly clicking in her head, fire rising in her eyes, "Well you know what!?"

Ryukyu's eyes widened, recognizing the Drug instantly, and realizing what she was about to do, "DON'T!"

"Gngh!" Adachi gasped, feeling the needle pierce his arm.

"FUCK YOU!"

The villains stopped, blinking in surprise as they looked at one another. Before Junkie started laughing, "You stupid bitch! That just enhances Quirks! It won't do anything to fix a broken body!"

Nagato smirked in return, listening to him laugh as a wicked amusement crossed her face, "No... Not unless that Quirk gives the user regenerative abilities!"

Adachi suddenly gasped, eyes opening wide as he felt his insides start to burn. Heart racing as the drug rushed through his system. "Haaaaaaaagh!" He started to get up slowly, eyes wide as he looked down at his good hand. The soreness in his muscles was disappearing, and he could feel the thrumming in his chest. Adachi was panting, hyperventilating as the drug coursed through his veins and sent his body into a frenzy, "Ngh! Hnngh! HRAAAAAH!"

All eyes fell onto Rizado, as his wounds began to close rapidly. His body felt invigorated thanks to the rush the drug was giving him, bruises vanished, burnt skin was replaced, his broken right arm crackled and popped itself back together. Junkie himself swallowed nervously, "O-Oh, well... Shit."

"Rizado are you okay!?" Ryukyu asked as she watched.

But the boy barely even seemed to notice she was there, eyes darting all around the area before locking onto the villains he'd fought already, "HAAAAAH!" He screamed as he suddenly charged them both.

"Alright I guess we're doing this now." Fenix rolled his eyes, raising his hands and firing another ball of super heated fire.

The boy wasn't even in his lizard form, charging into the fire head on as it splashed across his soaking wet body. But he hardly felt the pain, the skin on his face and chest burning terribly but healing just as fast! It caught Fenix completely off guard, as the boy emerged from the other side of his fireball, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Throwing a mighty fist that clocked him right in the jaw, making the man stumble back.

"You BRAT!" Junkie roared, lunging for him with outstretched hand, "I'll fry you alive!"

But by the time Adachi turned around to face him, he had already transformed in the span of a split second. His tail finding itself around Junkie's neck, lifting him right off the ground and throwing him at the nearest wall, "HRAAAAAAAH!"

"This is ridiculous!" Zodiac shouted in anger, breaking into a sprint at the Heroes, "You're all DEAD!"

Ryukyu held her ground, "Nejire-Chan! Provide air support! And Protect Nagato!" Before meeting the Zodiac head on, the crazed villain reaching her with a spinning roundhouse kick that Ryukyu blocked with both her arms, wincing in pain. Before pushing the leg aside and attempting to throw a punch forward, "You're not killing anyone tonight Zodiac!"

Nejire flew up into the air, aiming her arms down at the last remaining villain Vector, "Take THIS!" Unleashing the waves of force her body could produce, they cut through the air and rain while racing towards him.

"Stupid kid." He narrowed his eyes, the waves bouncing right off his shielding before he fired back with the rain droplets. But To his surprise, Nejire-Chan dodged them! _"Shit she's fast!"_

Meanwhile, Fenix took aim at the boy once more, "I have had enough of your resilience! BURN!" He commanded, his entire body igniting into blazing hot, blood red fire that instantly began to burn through his own skin and reduce the surrounding rainfall to steam, "CLEANSING IMMOLATION!" The fires were spreading, surrounding him in a dome of pure fire and heat.

"HRAAAAAH!" Rizado roared, charging straight into the flames and disappearing.

After a few seconds, Fenix released the attack. Falling to his knees panting, _"Ngh! D-Dammit... Been too long since I've had to burn out like that."_ He winced, skin mending itself as the molten asphalt beneath him hardened quickly in the rain. Steam surrounding him and making it harder to see as the water cooled the street. "But that brat should be-" His words hitched, as a mighty shadow loomed overhead, its shape starting to become visible through the steam as two piercing glowing blue eyes locked onto him. And for the first time in many years Fenix felt fear!

 **"HRAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**

Zodiac slid back on her heels, blocking Ryukyu's super powered punch and glaring daggers at her. The two hesitating as the thunderous roar filled the streets, echoing into the skies above, the rain slowly coming to a stop in the wake of his roar. Before the two had to jump back, a falling object crashing down right between them, slamming into the street, "F-Fenix!?" The villains eyes widened in shock, the man's body was crippled, every limb battered and bent in the wrong direction. **  
**

He was still alive but unconscious, thankfully...

Ryukyu looked back towards the beast stepping forward from the mist, _"Rizado... This power is-"_ She gasped in pain, as two bolts struck her in the shoulder and center of the chest, her eyes darting to Vector.

"We need to get out of here!" He shouted to Zodiac, kicking up water from the puddles around him to use as covering fire while Ryukyu backpeddled to dodge it with inhuman speed.

 **"GRAAAAAAH!"**

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!" Junkie shouted, landing on his back, "Lets see your wet body withstand my SUPER SHO-" He was cut off, as Adachi slammed his back into the nearest wall, leaving Junkie stuck in it and thoroughly knocked out.

Before the beasts eyes turned on Vector, **"GRAAAAAAAAH!"**

 _"I don't like this but its our best chance to put her away before another crime spree begins!"_ Ryukyu decided, racing forwards, "Whats the matter Zodiac!? I thought this was your debut! Are you getting cold feet!?" She demanded, transforming into a dragon mid run, her wing still broken and incapable of flight. She lunged forward, slamming a mighty fist down into the street to create more disruption for the already panicking villains as it tore through the asphalt.

"Grrr... SHUT UP!" She snarled, lunging forward at her as well. Mid charge, she leapt into the air as her tattoos began to glow, "Rabbit!" She suddenly jumped avoiding an incoming punch from the mighty dragon with super human speed, "OX!" She swung her fist forward, punching Ryukyu right in the jaw, the blow hit like a truck and sent her recoiling back, "I will not be humiliated by some BRAT!"

Meanwhile, Nejire-Chan landed beside Nagato, "Come on, we need to get you out of here." She said, now that the villains were distracted this was the perfect time, "Take my hand!"

"Right," She nodded, grabbing on before looking to the beast as he charged Vector, _"Rizado... That boy... This is what you are really capable of?"_

Adachi's claws tore up the street as he ran, all his focus on the man who'd broken his arm. He certainly wasn't thinking clearly, he was only looking at a target. A mixture of physical and mental exhaustion being twisted by the effects of the drug coursing through his veins, "Get angry all you want brat you still can't get through my defenses!" Vector challenged, standing his ground as the beast attacked and firing a volley of water pellets.

But the shots bounced clean off his hide with no sign of damage, **"HRAAAH!"** He roared, swinging down a massive fist to try and slam the villain. But just like before, on impact his attack recoiled, and his right arm was completely crushed making him howl in pain like a wild animal. People watching from nearby windows and even the news chopper overhead wincing as they watched.

"You're NOTHING!" He declared, starting to sweat as he felt the impact of the attack. His Quirk was immensely powerful, but it had a limit. The heavier the object, the more powerful the force he was deflecting, the more toll it took on his body, "COME ON! I'll destroy that arm!"

Nejire-Chan landed on a nearby rooftop, "Stay here! I have to help him!" She declared, taking off once more.

Adachi's right arm had already healed, and he swung again with all his might, **"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"** This time, the backlash was even worse than before. Vector put even more force into it, reversing the direction and amplifying the attack to make Adachi's arm crush itself. The boy could feel the pain, and the drugs in his system were starting to wear off. Using every ounce of strength he had left, he lunged for Vector with his now non-existent arm cocked back.

"YOU CAN'T BEAT ME!" Vector shouted in anger, nose starting to bleed, eyes bloodshot, skin pale as his head throbbed in pain.

A sickening crunch sounded, as Adachi's arm began to reform mid swing. Bone sprouting out first followed by muscles taking shape around them, curled into a fist with no skin or scales covering it yet, **"GRAAAAAAH!"**

But just before contact, a wave of force struck Vector from behind. Chipping through his last bit of defense and making him stumble forward, "Ngh! N-NO!"

Right into Adachi's mighty fist.

The blow struck the entirety of his upper torso with a sound like a thunderclap, bones breaking in an instant while knocking him clear off his feet and sending him flying up the street. Where he hit the wet asphalt, rolled to a stop and remained still.

"Haah!" Zodiac backflipped, kicking Ryukyu in the jaw to gain some distance, using the power of the rabbit to super charge her legs before landing. Her eyes darted to Vector, and then back to Fenix, "Shit..." She grit her teeth, seething with anger. The villain was furious, but knew staying here would result in her capture at this rate, "Fine, you win this round Heroes, but I WILL rise again!" She declared, grabbing Fenix's broken body off the ground and dashing towards Vector to retrieve him as well.

"Nejire-Chan! D-Don't let them get-" Ryukyu's words halted as Adachi hit the ground with a loud thud, slowly reverting back to human form, "Rizado!?" She was back in her own human form in an instant, rushing to his side.

His entire body was trembling, muscles knotting up and contracting. The boy wasn't conscious at all though Ryukyu watched as blood began to trickle from his mouth, the boys eyes wide open and blank as he laid face down in a shallow puddle, as the drug left his system and let the backlash of such incredible power tear him apart on the inside.

 _"If he doesn't get some medical attention soon he-"_ She grit her teeth in anger, realizing without her own ability to fly she couldn't save Adachi _and_ catch the Zodiac, "Nejire-Chan! Get him to the hospital! NOW! Fly as fast as you can!" She ordered.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" She nodded, picking him up gently before taking off into the sky, looking back only briefly as Zodiac picked up Vector as well and flew off with two of her comrades in dragon form.

As they vanished into the night sky, Ryukyu took a few moments to gather herself. Processing what had just happened... What had almost just happened, before making her way over to the wall where Junkie was currently still stuck, _"Well... At least we got one of them, and whoever the police managed to apprehend."_ She narrowed her eyes sharply, thinking about what lead them into this mess, _"We may have survived... But Zodiac played us like fools, using that group of thugs as bait."_

As things began to settle down, Nagato was reunited with her Uncle and the two were placed in protective custody for the time being. The gang members Ryukyu had captured were set to be interrogated in the coming days. While the police also launched a full scale investigation of the city in association with nearby Hero Agencies to try and pick up any trace of the Zodiac Gang.

However, aside from a few low level members that had been left behind and didn't know much, they found nothing.

As for Adachi, after reaching the Hospital, he was put in emergency care, needed desperately to keep him alive...


	25. Aftermath, Injuries and Ancient History

**Vedahzii: HA! I knew I would get that 10/10 eventually lol thanks XD Glad you enjoyed it!**

* * *

It was morning when Adachi opened his eyes again, the subtle beeping of a heart monitor was the only noise in the room. His body didn't appear to be in a cast, so that was good news. Though, his right arm was wrapped in bandages, and he wasn't quite sure why. If he was being honest, he could hardly remember what had happened after getting back to his feet during that face off.

"Ngh..." He winced in pain when trying to move. His body felt so weak, like somebody had sapped the life out of him. He felt more sore than seriously injured, and as he sat up and looked down at his body he gasped in surprise, fear filling his eyes, "M-My body is..."

He looked completely emaciated. Like he hadn't eaten in months, like someone had trimmed every bit of muscle and fat from his body...

Adachi's heart rate started increasing, the machine beeping louder and faster as he began to hyperventilate, _"What happened to me? A-All of my muscles are completely gone!?"_

The door slid open suddenly, a nurse rushing in, "Oh my, you're awake!" She quickly made her way to the bed, "Calm down, you need to steady your heart rate." She said, making him look at her, "I know its scary but you need to calm down!"

The boy held her gaze, processing her words as he nodded, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself. The monitor slowly becoming quieter, "Nurse... What happened to my body?" He asked, even his voice sounded weaker.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Just calm down, take it easy, I'll go get the doctor and she'll explain everything." She assured, pulling away slowly as the boy nodded, before quickly heading out the door.

The boy was only left in silence for a few minutes, before the door opened and a tall woman with glasses walked in. Based on the long white coat he could tell she was the doctor, "Good morning young hero," She smiled softly as she approached the bed, "I'm Doctor Mitsuke, I'm happy to see you're awake."

Adachi nodded, "Th-Thank you... But Doctor, what is this?" He asked, looking down at his thin arms, "What happened to my body?"

She picked up her clipboard from the bedside table and sighed, "That is... Not easy to explain," She said, shaking her head, "To put it bluntly, the drug you had injected into you hyper charged your bodies healing abilities far beyond that of even the strongest healing Quirks we have documented." Mitsuke explained, "And as I'm sure you're well aware, the drawback of being healed is usually exhaustion, your body burning away its energy..." She pointed to his IV and the large bag attached to it, "We've had you connected to that since you arrived, if not for those nutrients, the backlash of that healing probably would have killed you."

Adachi stiffened, clenching his sheet, "A-And even with the nutrients it... Did this to me?"

"Yes, your body rapidly deteriorated," She nodded her head sadly, "Any excess fat you had was first to go, followed by your muscles... It was quite a terrifying thing to watch overnight." She sighed, lowering her head, "Your arm healing had been slow, because of your weakened body your natural regeneration has been slowed to a crawl..."

"So I'm stuck like this... And I can't regenerate anymore?" He asked, looking up at her worriedly.

But his fears were dashed, as a smile crossed the doctors lips, "There is some good news," Mistuke assured, "Your body can be repaired easily enough, though regaining your muscle mass with require doing it the old fashion way, you can start the healing process by well... Eating." She chuckled lightly.

A low grumbling erupted from Adachi's stomach, making him blush, "Well... I do enjoy eating."

She laughed in response, patting him on the back, "Aside from that, you had no major injuries, your arm might be a bit scarred however... So, sorry about that," She shrugged, "But you'll make a perfect recovery in time, for now just rest, you Heroes did an amazing thing." She assured, stepping away from the bed.

Adachi blinked, suddenly remembering why he even ended up injured, "W-Wait that's right, where's Nagato?!"

 **. . .**

"Its good to hear from you, we were really worried when they said you almost died." Her voice was far more relaxed and kind than it had been before, "Sorry I wasn't able to come see you at the Hospital..."

Adachi smiled faintly, as he held the phone to his ear, "Don't worry about it, apparently it was pretty scary and now I look like a damn skeleton." He laughed nervously, "So you and your Uncle are alright?"

"Yeah, we're being kept in protective custody for now," She explained, "And we'll be under watch for some time by a few pros to be safe, but with the those criminals in custody, its only a matter of time until we can apprehend the Senior Staff members that were a part of my fathers murder."

"I'm happy for you," Adachi replied, "Hopefully you can return to a normal life now..."

"It's all thanks to you guys," She said quickly, "Ryukyu, Nejire-Chan, the Police... And you, you saved my life Rizado."

He felt his cheeks turning red, "I... I mean hey, that's just my job right?" He laughed it off nervously, a terrible feeling rising in the pit of his stomach.

"I think you went above and beyond your job as Babysitter," Nagato laughed in response, before going quiet for a moment, "Look I... I'm sorry I injected you with that drug, I was so angry and... I just wanted those bastards to get slapped around, I should have asked, I should have never forced-"

"Hey its alright," Adachi interrupted, forcing a smile and a cheery tone, "If it wasn't for that we might have been screwed anyways, so thanks... I've got to go, if I don't eat something soon I might just keel over anyways."

"Right, yeah, I'll see you around Rizado... And thanks again."

As she hung up, Adachi set the phone down. His eyes staring down at his hand, his thin, weak, trembling hand, _"If it hadn't been for that drug... I never would have stood a chance against those villain... When it came down to it, I was completely useless..."_ He clenched his fist tightly, fighting back the frustration, _"I thought I was stronger, but this was no different than the USJ!"  
_

He could almost feel Fenix's hand tightening around his throat, and the pellets from Vector's Rain attack hitting his body. His fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles turned white, nails threatening to break the skin of his palm.

 _"I was just a punching bag for them!"_

"Adachi! Good you're up!" The voice of Hadou beamed as she came through the door into his room, "Whoa!? What's with the scary face!?" She asked, seeing the frustration clear as day on his features.

"Hadou, I-" He was about to make up some excuse, but couldn't think of anything, "I'm just frustrated..." He admitted defeat with a heavy sigh, releasing his grip, "How are you doing?" He added, noticing she didn't seem to have any bandages.

"I'm fine," She assured with a smile, "You and Ryukyu were the only ones that really got hurt, but what's got you all twisted up? Is it the uh... Body thing?" She asked, looking at his scrawny form.

"No I... I'm over that it's just," He looked up at her finally, "I feel so... Useless, like... Like I barely even did anything during that mess."

Hadou tilted her head, "Well that's a silly thought, you fought a bunch of villains! You even got one captured! And you kept Nagato safe! And then you went crazy and beat the crap out of three of them, that part was really funny! The news keeps replaying it!" She laughed.

"But Nagato helped me as well," He argued, shaking his head, "She helped me get away from that fire guy, she kept Vector from putting a hole in my head... Hell, if it wasn't for her shooting me up with that drug I wouldn't have even been able to help out at all when Ryukyu needed it!" He declared, voice raising higher than he meant it to, "It's just... I've been training so hard, I've gotten stronger, I won the Sports Festival for gods sake! And still... I feel like I was just a meat shield!"

Hadou blinked in surprise, watching him go off and thinking for a moment before responding, "Well... You're still a rookie so... Duh?"

Adachi looked up at her in surprise, "What?"

She released a childish laugh, "I mean you're still just a student! Nobody was expecting you to actually take on super villains!" She exclaimed with her usual joy filled expression, "That's why Ryukyu put you on Guard duty! The fact you're even still alive at all is a miracle!"

The boy looked at her like he'd slapped her across the face, "I... I guess you're... Right?" He answered, still feeling uneasy inside.

"Of course I am!" She answered, beaming as she slapped a hand onto his left shoulder, "One day you'll be good enough to take down villains no problem! With your power that should be easy! But right now you lack experience and skill! Just be patient, and take better care of yourself!" She added, jabbing a finger at his bandaged right arm, "You can't have that kind of stuff happening every time you fight!"

 _"That's... Sorta like what Vector said..."_ Adachi realized.

 _"There's a gap between us boy, one that you can't hope to match with brute force..._ _It's experience, I've got years of training with my Quirk under my belt, its so natural I redirect objects to their opposite direction without even thinking! While you... You're just a brat, who's got a long way to go..."_

Adachi brought up his bandaged arm, "Right I... I think I get it." His frustrations ebbing away as he digested her blunt words, "Thanks Hadou... I'm gonna get some food and rest, is Ryukyu going to stop by too?" He asked curiously, turning back towards his hospital bed, "Is she here at the Hospital being treated?"

"Yeah she was but had to get back to some work after they patched her up, once she finishes up filling out the reports and dealing with the media she'll probably be back." She assured with a nod, "I've got to get going, but you get well soon!" Nejire waved him off, heading out the door just as quickly as she had burst in.

Leaving Adachi alone, as he slowly returned to his bed, _"Was I... Expecting too much of myself?"_ He wondered, staring out the window to the sunny city streets, _"Did I become arrogant? Without even realizing it... I thought I could handle anything."_ His focus shifted, staring at his own reflection and his tattered body, "No... This is good," He decided with a nod, staring into his own eyes with fiery determination beginning to rise, _"I'll remember this, I'll remember what I couldn't do, how far I still have to go..."_

Taking a deep breath, Adachi removed his shirt to reveal his bony chest and ribs. Before he reached down and began unwrapping the bandages around his right arm. Wincing slightly as the tight bindings were undone, and cringing even more so as he got a look at what damage he had remaining. The bandages had gone all the way up from his finger tips to his shoulder and part of the right side of his torso. They covered a large array of scars left behind by his shredded muscles and skin, pieces of himself that hadn't healed properly because of his burned out body.

He ran a finger over the crisscrossing lines of scars, from the right side of his chest all the way down his arm. After a moment, he nodded, _"This... This is how I remember."_ Adachi decided, moving his scarred fingers, _"Next time I fight... I'll know what I can and can't do..."_

 **. . .  
**

"Right in here." The nurse lead Ryukyu to Adachi's room door, smiling and pulling it open, "He's eating right now, so uh... Brace yourself."

"What?" The hero blinked, as she stepped inside.

The sight she was greeted with was like something out of a horror movie... Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad. But she still recoiled without meaning to, as she laid her eyes on the boy. He was currently tearing into a table covered with various foods brought in from the hospitals cafeteria. Devouring everything in sight, despite looking like he couldn't even hold the amount of he scarfing down. He left no stone unturned, bones were picked clean, bowels were emptied, no food was safe from his hungering maw.

But as Adachi noticed her, he looked up with a blank stare, cheeks packed with food, "Hmm? Mm!" He swallowed it all in one gulp, Ryukyu watching as the bulge went down his throat, "Hi Ryukyu!"

Well, he seemed rather upbeat all things considered, "G-Good evening Adachi," She greeted, sweatdropping and doing her best to regain her composure, "I see you're... In fine form this evening."

"Yeah, doctor said the first step to recovery is eating so... I'm eating!" He grinned, setting his plate down and standing up to stretch, wiping away whatever bits of food had the luck of not making it until his mouth, "It's good to see you, how have things been going out there?"

"Well last I heard from Nagato she spoke with you, so you already know her situation," Ryukyu smiled, placing a hand on her hip, "But the media has been a bit rougher with digging for answers, and have been making a lot of allegations about the incident and trying to sway it towards the League of Villains being behind it."

"The League of Villains..." Adachi muttered, grabbing another sushi roll to eat, "Those are the guys who attacked the USJ, why would they be affiliated at all?"

"Oh right, you haven't heard..." She sighed shaking her head, "There was an incident in Hosu, an attack by more creatures like the one at the USJ, the Noumu." Adachi stiffened visibly, nearly choking on his food, "And to top it off, the Hero Killer was also there."

"But Iida's in Hosu!" Adachi exclaimed, after clearing his throat, "Why... Why didn't I hear anything about this!?"

"Probably because your phone was fried by that Junkie guy." She chuckled in response and shrugged, "Not much we can do about that unfortunately... But some of your classmates were involved with an encounter, Iida, Midoriya and Todoroki all seemed to run into the Hero Killer, but were saved by Endeavor thankfully, that's what the news is saying."

Adachi released a small sigh of relief, "I guess that's good... So the Hero Killer was... Captured?"

"Yes," She nodded with a smile, "So us Heroes will be a lot safer to do our jobs now, and the Noumu were apprehended as well."

Adachi nodded his head slowly, "Good to know, I'll have to ask them about it when I get back to class... But I was curious, what do you know about that Zodiac Gang? They seemed to have themselves pretty organized, more organized than to just be thugs... And their members, the ones that attacked us were a lot better trained than those that attacked us at the USJ."

"I don't know much about every member of the gang but... Zodiac herself is a feared villain in Japan." She explained, walking around to the window of his room, "I can tell you what I know, just about everything there is to know is public knowledge so if not from me you'd probably hear from somebody else."

Adachi returned to his bedside, taking a seat as he watched her, "Sure, tell me whatever you can... To control such powerful villains she has to be pretty infamous right?"

"Right," She nodded, thinking over where to begin, "There was a video interview with her, years ago when she was finally apprehended... She wasn't exactly hiding anything and pretty much told the world her story without any shame, so I guess I'll start there." She decided, pulling out her phone to find the video, "It's pretty dark, you sure you want to see it?"

Adachi took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes, I want to know everything I can about the villains I might one day be fighting."

 **. . .**

 _"Ahem, now um... We are proceeding, with the interview of the notorious villain, Zodiac." The man sitting across the table from her spoke nervously, "O-Or uh... Do you prefer, THE Zodiac?"  
_

 _The woman sitting across from him, much younger looking than the Zodiac they'd seen the day before, began to chuckle, "Oh please Mr. Tanaka, no need to be so formal, call me Kasumi~" She was bound to a chair by heavy chains preventing much movement, the silhouettes of guards lined the walls behind her.  
_

 _"Err... Right yes uh... Where would you like to begin?"_

 _"Why don't we start at the beginning," She smirked wickedly, shooting a glance at the camera, "I want the world to know where the scary little girl that caused them so much trouble came from..."_

 _"W-Well don't k-keep us waiting." The interviewer sounded more frightened than confident._

 _"Well in case you genius' haven't pieced it together yet, I'm from China, Beijing in fact." She explained, bringing her cuffed hands together before her and leaning against the table, "I grew up in a Noble Family, everything was handed to me on a silver platter, even after my Quirk manifested..."_

 _"And what a Quirk it is," The reporter released a dry, nervous laugh, "I-If it wasn't for the uh... Strict, terms of this interview, I'd ask for a demonstration."_

 _"And you would certainly get one." Her eyes flashing with malice, "But anyways... I found myself bored to death, and I cared so little for the family politics... I wanted a challenge out of life, we're all on this planet fighting to live and fighting for every inch of our lives." She leaned forward a bit further, "Life. Is. Strife... But I saw no conflict beyond my families own squabbling... So when the subject of my arranged marriage came up, I couldn't care less." She shrugged simply, finally leaning back, "I had suitors from other noble families seeking both my power and wealth lining up, my parents used this as a tool to manipulate the other Noble Families and oh how they angered me." She chuckled in amusement._

 _"You seem uh, quite happy for someone recalling such bad memories..."_

 _"Bad? Oh no no no my pet," Zodiac answered quickly, shaking her head as she chuckled, "This was the first struggle I faced in life, and it was just a taste of what a real, terrible world it was out there... So I took their squabbling, and forced marriage proposals as a challenge... I went through suitor after suitor, waiting until I was offered the most loved, precious little brat of a son who's family would give him the world if they could... And I accepted."_

 _"You got married?"_

 _"Pfft, yeah right!" She laughed in amusement, voice echoing throughout the chamber, "I arrived at the wedding as the blushing bride, before I turned my powers on them and murdered everyone present, except for the Groom of course! I allowed him to live with it."_

 _The reporters face visibly paled, "That is..."_

 _"After that I was on the run, and soon found myself cornered by a few low class heroes," She continued, excitement glimmering in her eyes, "Oh it was my first real fight, and I reveled in it! The pain coursing through me when I was hit, the fear in their eyes when I sank my claws into that mans throat~" Her eyes rolled back as she recalled the sweet memory, "Ooooh it was euphoric, human strife at its finest, purest form, in battle... So I wanted more."_

 _"And... That's why you came to Japan?"_

 _"Yes, I heard this was the land of the worlds greatest heroes... And it's a hell of a lot closer than America and not nearly as pompous, so... Yeah, that too." She shrugged, "And oooh boy did I hit the ground running." Zodiac laughed in amusement._

 _"We don't need to get into those details." He answered quickly, "Everyone is quite familiar with your debut already..."  
_

 _"Oh I think we do! An entire hero agency burned to the ground, the district in ruins," She said with a twisted, cold amusement, "And Six absolutely righteous heroes put in the ground, and that was just one night~" She added, licking her lips, "I was invigorated, I came out of that barely alive! It was by the skin of my teeth that I escaped the police, but I was never more sure of my decisions in my life! I wanted more, I needed greater challenge!"_

 _"And how did you end up with a Gang?"_

 _"Moths flocking to a flame," The Zodiac said simply, shrugging her shoulders as she leaned back in the chair she was chained to, "And I burned brighter than any fire they'd seen... I had criminals of all levels running to me as something to rally behind... Truthfully, I never did use them to their fullest, I was too concerned with my addiction to fighting... But I still trained their loyalty, their undying, ever burning loyalty."_

 _"And where is your Gang now?" He asked curiously, "Where were they when you were... Found the way you were, did they betray you?"_

 _The amusement on her face vanished in an instant, "Betray me? No... No they did nothing of the sort, as for where they are now? They're waiting for me." She answered, smirking coldly, "They'll keep waiting, quietly, until I'm ready to leave this place."_

 _"You make it sound like you're here willingly... But you were found nearly dead in some back alley," He challenged, "So who defeated you? Was it a Hero? A Vigilante? A rival gang?"_

 _The Zodiac remained silent for a moment, before her lips split into a wide, sadistic grin, eyes filled with a barely restrained fury, "Oh, no one special, just an old bastard living in the past... But I'm sure he's watching this too, so allow me to give a shout out to my bestest friend, waiting for me outside," Her voice dripped with sarcasm like a deadly poison, turning her head towards the camera, "When I get out of here, I'm coming for you, All For One."_

 **. . .  
**

"All For One?" Adachi repeated the name, quirking an eyebrow, "I've never heard of that name before, is it some old Hero?"

Ryukyu sighed as she pocketed her phone, "To be honest I have no idea, remember I'm only about ten years older than you," She chuckled shaking her head, "But from what I know, the police looked for this man after the Zodiac's capture twenty years ago and well... Didn't find anything." She shrugged, "He might even be dead by now, or maybe she injured him so badly he had to go into hiding as well? Can't be sure." The Dragon Hero sighed and looked back out over the city, "But it was so long ago, most people have forgotten that name."

Adachi nodded slowly, still digesting a lot of what was said in that video, _"I wonder if Midoriya knows, he seems to know just about everything when it comes to old Hero stuff..."_ Before he looked back to Ryukyu, "Either way, with The League of Villains, and now the Zodiac Gang running around... The world suddenly got a lot more dangerous didn't it?"

Ryukyu sighed heavily, looking back at him with a sad smile, "It was always dangerous, but becoming a pro means you have to see that danger head on, and stop it."

The boy looked down slowly, eyes drifting to his right hand as he nodded, "Yeah... I guess it does." Before raising his head and looking back up at her, "Ryukyu... I'm going to do better," He promised, holding up his right hand to her, "I won't let this happen again, next time I fight... I'll be ready."

Ryukyu watched his expression for a moment, as if gauging how serious he was before nodding with a soft smile, "I know you will be... And when the time comes for your real internship, or when you graduate UA, I would be honored to have you at my Agency." She offered, "Consider my doors always open to you, Rizado."

Adachi smiled back at her, feeling his chest swell with pride as she spoke his Hero name, "Thank you, I'll remember that..."

Maybe the Internships didn't turn out the way he wanted them too, but Adachi had learned some valuable lessons about being a hero. He saw a new side of the Hero Society, and got a glimpse of exactly what he was getting himself into. Though it had left him scarred, he knew this was just another step in the direction of becoming a hero.

And he was starting to get a better idea... Of exactly what kind of Hero he wanted to be.


	26. Welcome Home, A Moment of Peace

**It was brought to my attention by a Guest that one of the chapters was mixed up, specifically chapter 16 being replaced by just another chapter 2. I have no idea how this happened, I know I checked it right after posting and it was the right chapter so maybe something glitched somewhere while I was updating other chapters before? Either that, or someone is in my account messing with me...**

 **Either way, just a small PSA here. If you see something like that, please let me know so I can fix it. Because at present I have no idea of knowing how long Chapter 16 was messed up, which sucks because that was one of my favorite chapters to write. So if you never got to see the original chapter 16 feel free to go back and read!**

 **Anyways, enough rambling on with the Fluff!**

* * *

Adachi stepped off his train, a suitcase in each hand, and was officially home from his internship. It was past mid day, the sun was high in the sky and a warm breeze filled the air around him as he walked through the station and began making his way home. He was nervous about seeing his parents, he'd already told them what happened but was sure they'd probably freak out when they actually saw it.

And then there was his classmates, his friends.

Like Midoriya, Iida and Todoroki, his face had been plastered all over the news with footage they'd picked up during the battle in the street. Of course, most of it was him being praised for his, "Exceptional fighting skills" in defeating the villains. But word of the actual damage to his body hadn't really been spread around. So he knew things would be very... Interesting, on his return to school.

After the long walk, he arrived at his door. Taking a deep breath, he pulled it open and stepped inside, "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" He called out, sliding off his shoes and leaving them by the door. He continued forward, stepping out of the hall and into the kitchen before stopping, "Oh, hey guys." He greeted, swallowing nervously as he stared at the faces of not only his Mother and Father, but also Kirishima and Ashido, "I uh... Didn't know we'd be having company..." Adachi tried to play it off with a forced smile.

"Dude..." Kirishima muttered, looking at his body, "What happened? Oof!" He yelped as Shisui elbowed him in the gut, "I-I mean, its great to see you again! I uh... I heard things got a bit messy over there..."

"Haha YEP!" Shisui beamed with a big forced smile, "We heard things were a little stressful, so I got your friends together for dinner because I thought it would be fun!" She assured, her hands on Kento's shoulders, "We're all so happy that you're safe!"

Adachi realized they were all acting strange and set his bag on the table. He could tell by the look in their eyes it was probably because of his rather... Ghastly appearance, "You guys alright? You're acting weird." He said bluntly, setting his costume case down as well.

"You're the one acting weird!" Ashido accused suddenly, waving her arms around as she eyed him over, "I mean LOOK at you!"

"Hey!" Shisui shot her a sharp glare.

"What happened!?" She continued, ignoring the death stare, "Your arm is all scarred up, and your body is..."

"I saw what happened on TV, at least the end of it." Kirishima added, "We were really worried, I tried to call you but your Mom said your phone got destroyed or something?"

The boy released a heavy sigh, but smiled faintly as he picked up on the concern in her voice, "It's kind of a long story," Before taking his seat at the table and resting his feet, "It started with these thugs I met in the park during my morning patrol."

And so he spent the next while explaining how everything went during the course of that mission. He didn't leave out any details, knowing whatever was going to happen with Nagato's company would be made public eventually. As he explained the arrival of the Zodiac Gang, his mother and father visibly paled at the idea of him fighting them. But Adachi spared them all the gruesome details about the battle, and his own injuries. Of course he had to be honest about the drug being injected into him, and what the results were on his body.

"And that's pretty much it," Adachi said, as he finished up, "I'll be okay, I've just got to get back to training, I may fall behind a little bit but this was a good experience for learning." He assured, taking a breath and giving them a chance to speak finally.

"Sheesh that's rough..." Kirishima scratched the back of his head nervously, "I guess that regeneration of yours can be a blessing and a curse if you aren't careful..."

"Sorry, I thought if I got everyone here I could... I don't know, make you feel better but, I guess you're doing alright..." Shisui sighed heavily, "And you're sure you're okay?"

Kento nodded, holding her hand, "We're just worried... You had a lot thrown at you in a short time."

Adachi nodded his head, "I'm alright, it was scary and... I was starting to doubt myself but," He slowly held up his scarred hand, "I know what I have to do, and I'm know what I'm really up against, what Heroes are really up against... I thought I really understood after the USJ but, this felt a lot more real... I wasn't just defending myself, I was fighting villains like a real hero!" He looked back up at them with a smile, "I promise I won't get hurt like this again, next time I'll be ready!"

As he finished up, Ashido watched him silently not yet saying anything on the current situation. But the look on her face made it clear she wasn't so sure about this.

Shisui sighed heavily, nodding her head and breaking the silence, "Alright, if you say so... We're always here to talk if you need to." She assured with a smile, "I'm going to get dinner started, will you two be joining us?"

Kirishima nodded his head, "Sure that sounds-"

"I have to go." Ashido said suddenly, walking past Adachi and making her way to the door, "I'll see you guys at school tomorrow..."

"Ashido..." Adachi muttered as she headed out, the door closing behind her as he looked back around at his parents, then to Kirishima.

"Well, we going after her or what?" The red head asked expectantly.

Adachi nodded, "Right yeah, of course, lets go!"

 **. . .**

After leaving the house, they were startled to see she'd gotten out of sight pretty fast! Looking both ways up the street neither of them could tell which way she'd gone. So Kirishima opted to check the route back to her house, while Adachi swallowed his fears and made his way down to the river alone. Though he had a feeling Kirishima was giving him the more obvious choice...

Sure enough, he spotted her puffy pink hair from behind as she sat on the bench staring out over the water. Sunset glimmering off its surface, and from where Adachi stood she looked deep in thought. He felt his heart racing a bit as he approached, feeling a strange sense of apprehension he'd not felt in some time, "Hey." He finally broke the silence, announcing is presence.

Ashido didn't turn her head to look at him, "Hey..."

Her monotone voice worried him even further, "Are you okay? I've... Never seen you storm off like that before... You're acting a lot weirder than usual. "

"Who's storming?" She scoffed, slowly getting to her feet, "I wasn't storming!" The pink girl declared, turning her sharp eyes on him before the intensity in them disappeared completely. As she read the look on his face, "You idiot... You're still doing it aren't you?"

Adachi quirked an eyebrow, "Doing what?"

"Look at you," She continued, ignoring the question as her eyes ran down his thin body, resting on his scarred right arm, "You're practically in shambles... A shell of that kid who won the Festival, and instead of taking it easy your worrying about me..."

Adachi frowned, looking down at his own body as well, "I... Yeah, well I'll be fine, I can fix all of this." He assured, "I... I always get back up on my feet right?" Adachi added, putting on a small smile.

"I'd prefer it if you weren't always the one getting knocked down." Ashido said, sighing and shaking her head before walking back over to the bench, "Come on, sit, you need to rest." She ordered, patting the space beside her.

Adachi didn't argue, walking over and sitting down as well right beside her, "I'm sorry I made you worry." Figuring the reasoning behind her actions by now.

"Don't apologize you idiot," She answered, smiling faintly as she rested her head on his shoulder, slouching against him, "I'll be fine, I'm not the one who's arm went through a meat grinder on public TV... Are you sure you're okay?"

Feeling her resting against him was... Different, than usual. He didn't feel shy or nervous, he felt relaxed, "I... I think so, yeah." Adachi answered after a moments thought, "I was really scared but..." He took a deep breath, before taking her hand in his own, lacing their fingers together.

Ashido's heart skipped a beat.

"I feel a lot better now that I'm home."

It was like their roles had reversed, now Ashido felt nervous. She was glad her pink cheeks made it hard to tell she was blushing, "Kaiji Adachi, when did you get so smooth~?" She asked in her usual playful tone, trying to ease her own tension.

Adachi released an internal sigh of relief, chuckling lightly in response to her question, "Well, I did just spend a week hanging around a cute upper classman, and a beautiful older Heroine..."

Ashido pouted, her grip tightening on his hand as her heart began to race, "Oh you did huh?"

"Plus there were all those fangirls that watched the Festival," Adachi continued, he could already feel the punch he was about to get, "And then there was Nagato, she was pretty beautiful t- Ow!" He yelped and laughed lightly, as she slugged him in the shoulder, "I'm kidding I'm kidding, no need t-"

But before he could finish speaking, Ashido went in for the kill. Grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him forward, her lips meeting his own as she snatched away the kiss. And just like that Adachi's face went from pale to deep red as he registered what was happening, until she broke it a few seconds later. The boy left in awe staring at her like she'd just slapped him across the face, stunned.

Ashido took in the sight as she herself processed what she'd just done before grinning widely, "Bet none of them did that, consider it your welcome home present~"

Adachi felt like every terrible thing that had happened during his internship was a distant memory. Like some weight had lifted from his mind as she reminded him that she would always be here for him. A smile spread across his face, "I-I don't suppose I could uh... Regift it back to you?"

Ashido started laughing so hard she snorted, "O-Oh my god Adachi! That was the lamest line I've ever heard!"

He found himself laughing along with her, knowing exactly how bad it sounded, "Hey it was worth a shot!"

The two spent some time there, sitting in blissful silence together as their laughter died down. Knowing things wouldn't stay quiet for long, they silently agreed to cherish these small moments of peace...


	27. Finding A Way Forward, Back To School

**Vedahzii: HA! Yeah I think this was a long time coming XD Glad you enjoyed it lol**

 **61394: Yeah, in that moment I just asked myself, "What is literally the worst, corniest line he could use right now?" And I think I hit right on the mark XD**

 **PSA: I apologize for anything I might have missed, yesterday was St. Paddy's Day as you may all know and I am QUITE hungover while editing this lol**

* * *

"BWAAHAHAHAHAHA! WHAT THE HECK BAKUGOU!?"

The casual banter of early morning class was shattered by Kirishima and Sero's laughter, as Bakugou entered. Adachi himself was somewhat surprised, seeing his normally wild, spiky hair was now combed down and well kept. Though, he decided to keep it to himself. Deciding to not also become a target for Bakugou's rage, he simply leaned back and took in the school atmosphere. Everyone was so cheery, talking among themselves eagerly about their internships. It was nice to know not everyone had as messed up a time as he did.

Though nobody had addressed him just yet, Adachi was quick enough to notice the stares he was getting. It wasn't a matter of nobody caring about what happened to him, more so that nobody knew quite how to approach the situation yet. But he was fine with that, he didn't really want to spend the morning talking anyone down from their worries...

"But you know who really changed?" Kaminari's voice cut in through Adachi's thoughts, "Those three!"

Adachi followed his gaze to Midoriya, Iida and Todoroki, _"That's right, they were attacked by the Hero Killer himself... And got saved by Endeavor... That must have been terrifying."_

"Yeah," Kirishima chimed in, "I heard about what happened, I'm glad you guys are alright."

"I was worried too..." Yaoyorozu nodded with a frown.

"You guys were lucky that Endeavor was there," Ojiro added, "I can't imagine what would have happened if he hadn't arrived when he did..."

Hagakure butted in right after him, "But that's just what you'd expect from the Number Two hero!"

 _"Huh?"_ Adachi quirked an eyebrow, noting a moment of... Hesitation? On Todoroki's face.

"Yep... He sure saved us." The white haired boy said calmly, Midoriya and Iida nodding with approving smiles.

 _"What the heck was that?"_ The boy questioned confused, seeming to be the only one that noticed the strange exchange.

"But we weren't the only ones in trouble," Midoriya spoke up, seeming to notice that all attention was on them before looking to Adachi, "I saw the news about what happened, sounds like you were in a pretty rough spot too."

"Yeah," Adachi nodded his head, raising his scarred arm for everyone to see, "And I even got a souvenir." He joked lightly, before noticing their rather freaked out expressions, "Relax, I'm okay everyone." He assured with a chuckle, _"I really hope they don't start treating me any different because of this injury..."_

"You sure because you look like somebody left in you the sun too long." Kaminari pointed out bluntly, "All dried up..."

"Yeah man you've seriously gotta start pumping iron again!" Satou added in.

"So I've been told," Adachi nodded with a short laugh, "I know its a setback, but it just means I need to work harder." He said simply.

"Work work work, _ribbit,_ " Asui shook her head, "I feel like all I've seen you do since before the Sports Festival is train, you should get a hobby, something to help you relax."

"Like a girlfriend~" Ashido added with a teasing wink when nobody was looking.

Adachi felt his cheeks flush, "Ahah y-yeah maybe I should..."

 **. . .**

" **I** am here! I hope you're ready to return to our lessons!" All Might stood before the class with a big grin as usual. It was hours after the day started, and after lunch the class was told to suit up and head outside. They were at the entrance to another training facility, this one looking far more industrial, "Today it's Hero Basic Training, feels like I haven't seen you in awhile! Welcome back!" He greeted, his disposition just emanating excitement and enthusiasm, "Now then... Listen carefully for what's in store! We're going to be conducting a little race, take what you might have learned from your Internships and apply it to this rescue training." He instructed, holding up a finger.

"Sir," Iida raised a bandaged arm, he wasn't in costume because of the injuries he'd sustained from the Hero Killer, "If this is rescue training shouldn't we be at the USJ?"

"Ah, that place specializes in disasters," All Might explained, "But as I said, this is a race! So, PREPARE YOURSELVES! You'll be stepping into Field Gamma! Inside you'll find an area full of factories that form an intricate labyrinth! So good luck finding your way around... You'll be competing in three groups of five and one of six," He went on, going over a paper he had on hand, "Starting on the outskirts of the model city, I'll be hiding somewhere inside and release a distress signal when we begin, the first Hero to reach me wins!" All Might raised a pointed finger, slowly bringing it down, "Do whatever it takes to reach me first! But do try to keep the property damage a minimum please..."

Adachi stifled a chuckle, as the pointing finger landed on Bakugou, "Why are you pointing at me?" He grumbled in annoyance.

 **. . .**

As the day wore on and the students continued with their training, Mr. Aizawa was entering the office of Principal Nezu. The man carrying a clipboard with a few notes on a particular student as he walked in. The subject of up coming events on his mind and also the events that occurred over the course of the last week.

"Ah yes, you wanted to speak with me?" Nezu greeted with a smile, setting his paper down and turning full attention to his guest.

Aizawa nodded, "Yes, its about the upcoming Exams."

"Oh?" He quirked an eyebrow, "Have you had some thoughts on the changes we've made?"

"No, not at all, but I think we may need to tweak one of the match ups." Aizawa explained, walking forward and taking a seat in the chair opposite of Nezu.

The small mammal chuckled lightly in amusement, "And I'm assuming this is Adachi's match up yes?"

Aizawa nodded, knowing that not much got by this hyper intelligent rodent, "I've been evaluating his medical record since the incident during his Internship," He explained, "And well, to be completely honest, in his current physical condition he doesn't stand a chance in the Practical Exam."

"Hmm... You did place him in the test with Kirishima and Satou against Cementoss," Nezu leaned back in his chair slightly, "And with his body the way it is now it may too heavily favor his opponent... So what did you have in mind? I'm fine with giving him a handicap but it still needs to be a proper test."

"And I think I have the perfect solution," He nodded in response handing Nezu the clipboard with all the details he'd written down, "A clever twist, after all we've got an uneven number of students in each class."

Nezu read over the papers as a small smirk crossed his lips, "Yes... Yes I think this is perfect, I'll inform the others of this slight change to the line up, good work."

"Thank you sir."

 **. . .**

Adachi was last to reach the end goal, making the jump up to the platform only just barely in hybrid form. As All Might announced Bakugou as the winner, he leaned forward with his hands on his knees gasping for breath. He was well aware that mobility wasn't his strong suit, but with this he'd realized how completely shot his stamina was.

 _"Dammit... I feel weaker than I did when school started!"_ He internally cursed, standing up straight and looking to the others as All Might ushered them back to class. And the boy started walking without saying a word to the others as his mind turned to how to better prepare his body.

"Hey, you alright?" A familiar voice asked, Adachi noticing Asui walking along beside him, " _Ribbit,_ you look pretty gassed."

Adachi sighed and nodded, "Yeah I'm fine, haven't really had a chance to test my stamina since getting out of the Hospital but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised how limited it is."

"Well I'm sure you'll catch up in time," Asui assured with a smile, "You made really quick progress before right?"

Adachi laughed at that, "Yeah, but now I'm running on half the usual stamina!"

They joined up with the rest of the class and began heading back to the locker rooms. While everyone was getting out of their costumes, Adachi was focusing on how he would improve himself. All Might said they were going to be preparing for Final Exams soon which meant he had a limited amount of time to get his body back into some kind of shape. A conventional school would only have written exams, but considering this was UA he was positive there would be something involving Hero Training.

 _"I think I'm smart enough to handle the actual exam part,"_ He decided as he slipped back into his school uniform, ignoring the idle chatter of his classmates as they changed, _"I've got to put all my focus into physical improvement..."_

 **. . .**

"Well, it's almost time for summer vacation," Mr. Aizawa stated in his usual bored tone, "But don't get too excited, you can't just relax for an entire month."

Adachi nodded slowly, _"I'll be spending my entire vacation training... Hopefully UA doesn't have something planned that'll get in the way."_

"You'll be training, while you're camping in the woods."

The students were instantly jumping with excitement, "A big camping trip!" Ashido beamed.

Mineta chiming in as ravenous as ever, "BATHS!"

"Fireworks!" Asui added as she imagined it.

"SPRINGS!" The purple demon cried.

Even Iida had a word in, "And smores!"

"SKINNY DIPPING!"

Adachi sighed and shook his head, "That boy is relentless... But this sound fun," He smiled lightly, "Training at UA will have to be better than training by myself, maybe I'll recover even faster!"

"Hanging out with everyone all summer!" Hagakure waved her invisible arms around, "I'm so excited!"

"However!" Aizawa interrupted sharply, "Those of you who don't pass the Final Exam will have summer school."

Kirishima turned around looking back at his classmates, "Everyone better do their best!"

"All you girls better pass this thing!" Mineta added intensely.

After explaining a bit about the camping trip, Class was dismissed and they were free to go. As everyone started packing up to head out, Adachi finally approached the classes resident fanboy to see if he had answers to a question that had been bugging him.

"Hey Midoriya," Adachi greeted as he approached, "Got a second? I wanted to ask you something."

The green haired boy blinked in surprise, "Yeah sure what's up Adachi?"

"Well, you know a lot about old school heroes and villains and stuff right?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck, "I was looking into some stuff about that crazy villain that attacked me during the Internship, and she dropped a name I've never heard before."

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow, "The Zodiac right? Yeah, she's pretty old school so I don't know a whole lot about her... But what name was it?" He asked, equally curious now, wondering if maybe All Might would know about her?

"She was talking in an interview, about the person took her down and left her for the police," Adachi explained with a shrug, "Does the name All For One mean anything to you?"

Adachi hadn't been expecting a reaction at all, so when Midoriya stiffened and his face paled slightly he was worried he might have said something wrong, "A-All For One?" He repeated, before steeling his nerves and hiding his former shock, "N-No, never heard of him."

However, the boy was unconvinced, "Really? That's a hell of a reaction for someone who's never heard of him..."

"L-Look I need to get going," Midoriya said, pushing past him with his things and heading for the door, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Midoriya," Adachi turned halfway around, watching him head out, "You know... I never said All For One was a man."

His classmate froze up slightly, but didn't turn around. Though he looked like he might have been about to say something, before quickly walking out and closing the door behind him. As Adachi watched him take off, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, _"That boy is definitely hiding something..."_

 **. . .  
**

As Class 1-A were approaching their exams, and a much anticipated school trip, the threads of fate were twisting.

No, it wasn't the League of Villains, or even the Zodiac Gang.

Somewhere far, far away from all the commotion the media was completely focused on, a man stood before several monitors. Each one displaying various bits of information, videos and images from recent clashes between Heroes and Villains.

"Our society, is weak."

A drug frenzied boy assaulting villains who had the so called "Heroes" backed against the wall.

"Heroes aren't enough anymore..."

Images of various Noumu laying waste to the Heroes in Hosu City.

"Evil isn't going to wait, and it isn't going to fight fair... If we do not evolve, and stop relying on these... **_Celebrities_** , to protect us... We are all doomed."

The younger man behind him hid a devious smirk, "Your orders, sir?"

"Proceed as planned, we will wait no longer..."

The images changed across the screens with the push of a button, showing various vats contain organic materials that pulsed and throbbed within the strange green ooze.

"It may be some time until we can perfect them... But the world will be better for it."

"Some would say this work defies God."

"Hah... There are no gods in this world," He chuckled grimly, "Only Monsters."


	28. Exams Approaching, An Interesting Offer

**Sandman001: I guess you'll just have to wait and see ;3**

* * *

"Alright, that's it for class today," Aizawa spoke in his usual bored tone as he gathered his papers together, "There's only one week left before the final exams, I'm sure you're all studying constantly right?" He questioned, more than a few students giving him rather forced nods, "Don't forget to keep training... The written exam is only one element, there's also the practical portion to worry about," He added, heading to the door and stepping out, "Good luck."

The moment the door closed, the classroom exploded with noise. Two rather slacking students opening up with their cries in unison, "I haven't even taken notes all semester!" Both Ashido and Kaminari exclaimed.

Though, while Ashido was beaming with carefree laughter, Kaminari lamented, "Between the festival and our internships I didn't have time to read the textbook!"

"It's true that we haven't had very much free time lately..." Tokoyami sweatdropped, his own rather below average mid term score weighing on his thoughts.

Adachi chuckled lightly at that, "Yeah you know for someone who seems so wise you're not much of a braniac are you?" Though, as he thought about it he only ranked number 11 in the class on his own mid term. Sure, that was a far cry from Ashido who was in dead last at 21st, but... _"I'll just have to hope I can get by the written portion with an average score, because my time needs to be fully dedicated to physical work and repairing my body."  
_

"Come on guys, we've still got time to study!" Midoriya assured, "That way we'll all get to go to the training camp together!"

"Yes!" Iida chimed in, raising a hand, "As Class Rep I have high hopes that we'll make UA Proud!"

"It's really not that hard to pass," Todoroki added, in a more serious tone, "If you just pay attention in class."

"Why do you gotta cut me down like that!?" Kaminari collapsed in despair.

"Hey don't worry about it you two," Yaoyorozu smiled, "I'd be happy to help catch you up on the important topics if you'd like?"

Both Kaminari and Ashido were suddenly beaming with delight, "You're the best Yaomomo!"

Momo's smile turned to a frown as she added, "Though, I'm afraid I won't be any help in preparing for the practical part of the exam..."

"I'd love to join in too but, it's gonna be all physical work for me." Adachi chuckled nervously, "Sorry guys."

"Of course," Ashido nodded with a softer smile, "I understand, let me know if you need any help too."

"Thanks." Adachi returned with a nod of his own.

"I've been studying but, could you help me out too?" Jirou asked, holding up her note book, "I'm having some trouble with understanding Quadratic Functions..."

She blinked, looking between them with surprise, "R-Really?"

"Tutor me too please!" Sero pleaded bringing his hands together, "Classical Japanese is killing me!"

"Is there room for one more?" Ojiro asked nervously as he approached, "I'm afraid I'm falling behind a little..."

"Agh~!" Yaomomo gasped in surprise, "This is wonderful! Alright let's do it!" She declared, rising from her seat, "We'll hold a study session at my residence over the weekend!"

"Seriously!?" Ashido exclaimed as she bounced forward, "I can't wait to see your fancy digs!"

"Ooh! I must call mother have her prepare the great hall for us!" She began rambling on, beaming with excitement.

While Adachi chuckled, and looked towards his red haired friend, "What about you Kirishima? You getting in on this?"

"Hmm, yeah I don't know..." Kirishima shrugged with a smirk, as he turned attention to Bakugou, "Maybe I should be studying with her..."

"What you don't think I know enough!?" The firebrand demanded, "I'll beat the lessons into your skull!"

"Ha, I'm counting on it."

 **. . .**

"Alright!"

Class 1-A was preparing to depart for the day, but Midoriya had found some useful information in the form of Kendo from class 1-B during lunch earlier. She explained that the Practical Exam would be against robots, just like the entrance Exam. And both Ashido and Kaminari were overjoyed to hear it would be something so simple.

"It'll be super easy against just robots!" The yellow haired boy grinned.

"Such awesome news!" Ashido added.

"Why do you both sound so excited?" Shouji asked with a tentacle mouth, "You both have a hard time controlling your Quirks..."

"Yeah, but with robots it'll be easy to let loose!"

"And melting them will be a cinch for me!"

Adachi chuckled lightly as they bounced around excitedly, _"I guess with all the recent craziness I'd forgotten how reckless Ashido was with her schoolwork... And powers... But with such an easy exam, and Momo's tutoring we should all be able to go to the training camp... And if it really is just robots it might not be as hard for me as I thought... I still need to train."_

"Shouldn't matter if its robots or people... Why are you morons so excited?" Bakugou scoffed at them both while making his way to the door.

"Hey!" Kaminari jabbed a finger at him, "Who are you calling a moron!?"

"SHUT UP!" Adachi narrowed his eyes as Bakugou shouted at them, "You need to learn how to control your Quirk! You got it!?" He demanded, before his eyes shifted across the room, "Hey! Deku..." The room fell silent, as the rivals locked eyes across it, "I don't know what's going on with your power, but I want you to know I've seen the way you're using it... And it's seriously pissing me off." He warned with a venomous look in his eyes.

"Uh oh..." Uraraka muttered, standing beside Ashido, "He must mean how he was flying around just like he does..."

"Yeah that's right..." Mina nodded.

"I won't let anyone surpass me again, this is gonna be different than the Sports Festival," Bakugou growled, raising a finger and pointing at Midoriya, "We'll be getting individual scores! New rankings," He stated sharply, as Midoriya shook under his glare, "So we'll all know exactly where we're standing! And I'll show you how much better I am..." His wild eyes quickly shifted behind him, "And Todoroki! I'll kill you too..." And finally, Bakugou locked eyes with Adachi, "Don't think I've forgotten about you either, you may have pulled a fast one on me during the Festival and beaten that giant chick... But you won't win this time, your lead ends with the exam, I'll crush you too!"

Adachi nodded, eyes never leaving Bakugou's, _"Well, at least he isn't treating me any different because of my injuries..."_ The classroom door slammed shut, as the aggressive boy left, tension hanging in the air.

"Geez... It's been awhile since I've seen him so worked up." Kirishima nervously scratched the back of his head.

Tokoyami nodded, "You think it's impatience... Or hatred?"

 **. . .**

After things finished up in class, everyone was heading out for the day. After Mr. Sekijirou had dismissed them, Class 1-B students were making their way out. As they went, Ryou was putting her thoughts towards something that had been on her mind for a few days now. She was so deep in thought in fact, she hadn't even noticed Shiozaki saying her name beside her.

It took Kendo giving her a light shove to bring her back to reality, "Huh? Oh, hi!" She put on her big smile as she looked down at them, "What's up? Excited for the weekend?"

Kendo quirked an eyebrow, "Come on Ryou, what's on your mind? You looked a million miles away." She chuckled lightly.

"O-Oh I just... I was thinking about what I'll be doing before the exam Exams is all." She shrugged simply, as the girls all made their way to their lockers.

"Well, lets see..." Kendo sarcastically began, "You got top scores in our class on the mid term, and physically speaking I think you can handle any number of giant robots that are thrown at you, so you might as well relax."

Shiozaki shook her head, "No no I think that's a terrible idea, you should always try to be better than you already are!"

Ryou sweatdropped, "Thanks for the confidence guys but I was more worrying about-" Her voice stopped as she spotted her target, "Hey Adachi!" She called out, raising her hand and flashing a big grin as she stormed towards him.

The boy stopped in his tracks, blinking in surprise as he looked up at her, "Oh, hey Ryou, what's up?" The two hadn't gotten a chance to spar since the Festival, and with Adachi's physical state it seemed like it wouldn't happen for a long time.

The amazonian stormed right up to him, bringing her hands down firmly on his shoulders, "ADACHI! Come to my house this weekend!"

The pale boy's face flushed lightly, "Uh... What?" As Shiozaki and Kendo approached on her flanks.

"I'm going to train you! DUH!" She laughed loudly, drawing more eyes from the students passing through the hall.

Kendo quirked an eyebrow, putting a hand on her hip, "So this is what you were thinking about?" She asked curiously.

"You want to train him? Why?" Shiozaki asked curiously.

Ryou rubbed the back of her head as she laughed, "Well, to be honest I've been thinking about what to say to you since you came back looking like... Well, this," She said pointing at his scrawny body, "Look, I still owe you big time for what you said to me during the Festival... And I think this is the best way to repay you," Ryou assured, offering him a hand, "You need as much preparation for the Practical Exam as you can get in the next two days, and I think I can give it to you!"

Adachi was surprised by the passion behind her words, looking up at her before nodding, "Alright, sure." He nodded, clasping hands with her and shaking on it, "I'll put my faith in you Ryou, I know you won't let me down." He added with a smile.

"Awesome!" She beamed, fist pumping with both hands as her eyes flashed, "This is gonna be great!"

Kendo laughed lightly, "Don't sound too excited, it is supposed to be training right?"

"I know I know," She laughed, tucking away her things in her locker, "Alright! I'll text you my address later, I've gotta get home and clean up a bit, come by early tomorrow! And bring clothes for a sleepover!" She added, quickly rushing out the main doors and leaving them in the hall.

"Wait, what?" Adachi blinked in confusion.

Shiozaki giggled lightly, one hand over her mouth, "She is rarely so excited nowadays, you'd best be nice to her, good luck!"

Adachi sweatdropped, "Eh, right... Yeah..." Before sighing and shaking his head, moving towards his own locker, _"What the hell did I just sign up for?"_


	29. Training? Weekend at Ryou's Begins!

"You've got your toothbrush right?"

"Yes Mom," Adachi answered, rolling his eyes a bit, "Geez I'm just gonna be gone for a day."

"I know I know," She waved him off, "But a lot can happen in a day, especially when you're spending the night at a girls house~" She teased, wiggling her fingers at him.

Adachi's face flushed, "O-Oh come on Mom! As if I'd ever-"

"Oh relax, can't I even joke around anymore?" Shisui waved him off, "Just enjoy yourself, and work hard, I expect good results on those Exams next week!" She ordered.

Adachi chuckled lightly, "Thanks Mom, I'll see you tomorrow!" He waved, stepping out the door and starting off on his early morning commute. Making his way to the station and heading for Ryou's House. She was only two districts over so it'd be a pretty quick ride on the bullet train, and he was eager to get started. He'd decided to get up early for the trip, not wanting to waste any time so it was still morning by the time he arrived.

 _"I wonder what she has in store,"_ Adachi wondered, as he stepped off the train and followed his phones GPS. Making sure to send her a quick text that he'd be there soon, _"I wonder what her parents are like... They've got to be pretty amazing, to have a daughter with such a powerful Quirk."_ Though, now that he thought about it he didn't hear anyone cheering for her during the Festival, not like his Mother cheered him on...

"Is this it?" He wondered, looking up at the row of apartments above him. The boy quirked an eyebrow, heading towards the stairs when he heard a door open.

"Heeeeey! Up here!" Ryou's voice rang out, excited as ever. She was hanging over a railing above him, waving with both her arms, "Come on up! I made breakfast if you haven't eaten!" She was dressed in a big loose fitting shirt, with a pair of sweatpants.

Adachi sweat dropped, making his way to the stairs, "Uh, yeah sure..." He had already eaten, but didn't want to be rude. Looking around the lot outside the complex he noticed no other cars around, "Your parents out at work or something?" He asked, climbing the stairs.

Ryou blinked, suddenly realizing he hadn't been in the room when she... "O-Oh yeah that uh... No actually I live alone!" She exclaimed, putting back on her smile, "My parents live really far up north, but they wanted me to live closer to UA, so they paid for my apartment here!"

"Oh, wow you live alone?" Adachi repeated, reaching the top of the stairs and adjusting his backpack, "That's cool, being so independent... So which one is yours?" He asked, looking at the various doors.

"This one here!" Ryou grinned, leading him to a door at the far end, "And thanks, yeah I pretty much do everything myself here." She shrugged, pushing open the door and leading him inside, "The complex has a lot of come and go tennants so most of the other apartments are empty too!"

The apartment was pretty simple and small, a short hall leading to the a combined kitchen and dining area. There was a really small living room with a little couch and small TV hanging on the wall. As well as a hall leading to a few other rooms he could see as he stepped in. It was all freshly cleaned, and a pallet of finely crafted food sat in the kitchen on the table.

"Whoa... You can really cook," Adachi complimented, even if he wasn't that hungry he was more than willing to indulge in a bit of excessive eating for cooking that looked this good, "Though, if you don't mind me saying this place looks a little small for someone you're size." He joked lightly.

Ryou laughed in response as she kicked off her shoes, "Yeah maybe! But not everywhere can be fitted to my liking, so I just deal with it! Go ahead and eat up, I'll explain a bit about the training I had in mind." She added, pulling a chair up to the table and sitting down before filling her plate.

"Yeah I was curious about that," He replied, taking a seat across from her and filling his plate with some of the prepared rolls and home made sauce, "I trained for the festival by working hard and eating a lot so my muscles would regenerate faster but... I don't know if that's a good idea this time around."

Ryou already had a mouthful of noodles, quirking an eyebrow as she looked at him before slurping them all down in one quick motion, "Oh, we aren't going to reinforce your body, that's dumb, we don't have time for that!"

Adachi's head tilted in confusion, "That's... What?" He asked, shaking his head and setting his food down, "Then, what are we going to do?"

"Look, if I thought beefing you up was a good idea, I'd have told you to meet me at the UA Gym Facilities today," Ryou chuckled, filling her already empty plate, "I'm gonna teach you some of the things All M-" The girl nearly choked as she almost let it slip, "mY FAtHeR taught me!" Yes, good save, smooth, "About focusing, and channeling your strength to a focal point!"

Now Adachi was interested, as he slowly began to eat his own food, "Alright, you have my attention, you do seem to have incredible control over your own Quirk so I guess you are some kind of expert."

"Hahah! Me, an expert," She snickered in amusement, slurping up more noodles as she finished eating what remained of the food between them. Washing it down by chugging her glass of water, "Aaah, but yeah kinda! The first time I used my Quirk, it was all at once," She explained, "And I ended up stuck in a hospital bed because of what it did to my body."

Adachi nodded, "Yeah, your arms and legs got pretty messed up when you used it during our match... So, your Dad taught you how to focus that power?"

Thinking about her father was hard for Ryou, and she knew she'd only made this harder by not telling him the truth. But... The more she thought about it, "Yeah, yeah he did." A faint smile crossed her lips, "SO!" Suddenly exploding up from her seat so fast it knocked over her chair and made Adachi jump in fright, "I'm gonna teach those things to you! ARE YOU READY NEWBIE!?"

Regaining his composure after her intense outburst, Adachi nodded as he stood up as well, "I'm ready, teach me everything!"

 **. . .**

After Ryou cleaned up the kitchen, and Adachi changed into some loose training clothes the duo made their way outside behind the apartment complex to a small park. It was hardly anything like a real park, just a few trees spread out around a fountain in the center. Either way, this seemed to be their training ground for the weekend.

Ryou positioned herself across from Adachi, holding a leveled gaze with him, "Alright, now to begin I'll explain my Quirk..." She took a deep breath, the familiar glowing lines tracing her arms and face as she released the first stage of her power, "My Quirk is called Power Limiter, it causes my body to generate an immense amount of power but the Quirk itself is releasing that energy... As far as I've learned at least, I only found out about my Quirk a few years ago when I released for the first time without meaning too." She explained, "But its a bit more intricate than just flipping a switch and increasing my power." Ryou raised one hand, "Third Release." And slashed her hand through the air, generating a gust of wind that shook the nearest trees around her, "The energy is released through my muscles, that's the focus I was taught, how to channel the incredible power through my movements in bursts, that's how I maximize output without harming my body."

Adachi nodded his head slowly as he understood, "Amazing... So that's why you can't just run at super speed, you have to take leaps, you aren't just augmenting your muscles you're unleashing this crazy power through them."

"Pretty much, if I get enough power flowing it can heighten my durability a bit too despite injuring my body in the process." She added with a smirk, her power fading as she resealed it, "Now, tell me about your Quirk, I've got some theories based on what I've seen but... I'd like the full run down."

"Right," Adachi answered her quickly, "My Quirk is called Kaiju," He began, looking down at his hands, "If you consider the big scaly beast 100% of my power, than right now this is 0%." He explained, "Whereas this-" He bulked up quickly, shifting to his hybrid state, "Is 50%!" Before shrinking back down to normal size, "But, I can sort of push the percentage my body can take between 0% and 50%." Holding up his arm, scales began to form along its length.

"Perfect, not exactly what I had theorized but pretty close," She grinned in response, "Now, have you ever thought about focusing where your body transforms?"

Adachi quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"The same way I can focus an immense amount of power through just my arms, or my legs when I jump," Ryou explained, "Have you ever just tried transforming one part of your body?"

The boy looked at his right hand, letting some scales grow over his fingers and palm, "I guess... Sometimes but, nothing more than some small enhancements like scales or claws."

"Now imagine if you were to say... Suddenly throw a punch and it were to expand and carry the force of your power at 100%!" She suggested with a big grin of excitement.

"That would be..." The idea passed through his mind, imagining combining his fighting skills with that incredible power, "So you want to try and make that happen, by teaching me to focus my power?"

"That's the plan lizard boy!" Ryou released a hearty laugh, "Now lets get to your training!" She turned around suddenly, pointing to a large old tree behind her, "Sit under this tree! YOU'RE GOING TO ENJOY SOME PEACEFUL MEDITATION!"

Adachi sweat dropped as her voice echoed, "And this is... Something you did?" Trying to imagine her meditating.

"Oh yeah I am suuuuper zen," Ryou nodded with a grin, "Gotta be with all this CRAZY power flowing through me, if I'm not focusing a lot someone could get hurt! It's all about discipline!"

"Discipline?" Adachi tilted his head as he walked towards the tree.

"Yep! Without it all that power you're throwing around might as well be nothing but a big stick, a blunt object." Ryou shrugged, "You already showed me you can think dynamically when fighting, but you've gotta apply that to your Quirk as well."

The villains voice echoed in his mind again, _"There's a gap between us boy, one that you can't hope to match with brute force... It's experience, I've got years of training with my Quirk under my belt."_

 _"I spent all that time learning dragon stance because I thought I had to make up for my base form being weak,"_ Adachi realized as he took walked up to the tree, _"But I need to train my Quirk as well, Ryou is absolutely right! Ever since the USJ I've been using 100% of my power like a blunt instrument!"_ He turned around, taking a seat on the ground with his legs crossed like a stereotypical meditation pose, "Like this right?"

"Yeah sure I guess," Ryou shrugged casually, "Whatever makes you comfortable, you've gotta clear your mind and focus, focus all that power into one point on your body even if its just for a second!" She dropped to the ground across from him, sitting cross legged as well, "Just close your eyes... Take a deep breath, and visualize..."

Adachi did as she instructed, first closing his eyes and then beginning to take long, deep breaths. He visualized his Quirk, and remembered that feeling of incredible power flowing through his body whenever he went all out, _"My power is more than just a giant monster... More than a punching bag for villains... I can feel that strength deep inside of me, I just... Just have to focus!"_

Minutes began to tick by, but the passage of time was slowly becoming harder to discern for Adachi as he focused. The world around him didn't exist as far as he was concerned. The sounds of cars driving by the nearby streets vanished, even the high pitched ring of the summertime cicada's was gone as he focused. Deep breathing eased any bit of tension he might have had and helped keep his mind clear.

They were passing by hour two, when suddenly-

"Ngh!" Adachi gasped, eyes shooting wide open as a bolt of pain ran through his right arm. The pain vanished as soon as it appeared, the boy looking down at his scarred hand briefly, noticing the faint remnants of scales that had begun to form were fading away, "What was..." His hand still stung a little, but overall he couldn't feel anything seriously wrong with it, _"Was that it?"_

"You felt something right?" Ryou asked, opening one eye to look at him.

"Y-Yeah I think so." Adachi nodded his head, "It took a long time though..."

"That's fine!" Ryou assured with a grin, "The fact you can draw it out at all means we're on the right track!"

"Maybe..." Adachi himself wasn't so sure, "But even if it didn't damage me, it still hurt... That can't be good right?"

"It just means you're adjusting," Ryou stated, though to be honest she had no idea either, "Keep at it! We can continue meditating until you can draw it out in an instant!"

Adachi still wasn't totally convinced but... This was something to go on, "Alright, lets continue."

 **. . .**

The day continued at a slow pace, hours of meditation rolling by only interrupted by sharp jolts of pain through Adachi's muscles sometimes followed by swelling. It was never serious though, and as time wore on he started to make it happen faster, and focus where it was happening. For the time being, he worked on making it flow to his arms, figuring that would be the most useful and safe place to use it...

"Alright, lets brake for today." Ryou said suddenly, rising to her feet.

Adachi opened his eyes, releasing a heavy breath, "You sure? It still doesn't really feel like I've... Done, anything."

"Yeah, and maybe it won't for some time." She shrugged, "Your quirk is different from mine, but it'll happen at the right time I'm sure of it!"

"What makes you so sure?" Adachi asked curiously.

"Well, think about what you told me before!" She said before quickly clearing her throat and speaking in a forced, exaggerated deep voice, **"It had to be natural, not something you had time to think about."**

Adachi sighed shaking his head, "I do not sound like that."

"WHATEVER!" Ryou laughed in response, flailing her arms up, "The point is, you could do it through concentration, which means your body IS capable of doing it!" She explained, placing her hands on her hips, "So it'll happen! I know it! Just have some faith!"

Adachi had to concede for now, no point in arguing over it, "I suppose you're right, so dinner?"

"Yeah I'll get it all going!" She beamed, walking past him and back towards the apartment complex, "My sushi will knock your scales off!"

"Rinsuke," Adachi stopped her with a hand on the shoulder, looking up into her eyes, "Thanks, I really appreciate you helping me."

Ryou blinked in surprise, staring into his eyes for a moment. Her lack of much social experience that was on such a genuine level made her instantly feel nervous, "N-No problem... It's what friends do right?"

"Right."


	30. Bond Between Friends, The Weekend Closes

**DrakeDragon297: Things will be different for Adachi, but you'll just have to wait until next weekend to find out how~**

 **Deku/LL/Vedahzi: You guys know characters can have a moment without being romantically interested right? XD For reasons that will be clear momentarily, Ryou is not interested in Adachi that way**

* * *

"From our reports, they're increasing their numbers."

"But of course, with the alleged support of the fanatical Hero Killer why wouldn't they?"

"My point is, we need more forces of our own."

Zodiac sighed heavily, leaning back in her chair, "I hate when you're right but I love when we win so... I won't argue." Standing up, she made her way through the warehouse currently acting as their hideout, "Keep our feelers out... See if they can pick up any big hitters being talked about by either the police or gangs." She ordered, passing by Vector as she went.

"Of course." Fenix bowed his head respectfully before walking off to give out new orders.

While Vector narrowed his eyes at the ground sharply, a twisted smirk crossing his lips, "So where do we stand boss? You've already made your presence known to the heroes, so we've got them coming after us... And now you want to start a war with the League of Villains?"

Zodiac stopped, turning halfway back around to look at him, "Are you doubting me Vector?" She asked with a faint smirk, "If that sounds too tough for you, feel free to leave~"

"Of course not," He chuckled in response, waving her off, "Just saying... That's a hell of a tall order, we're gonna need everyone to be in top shape."

"Then you'd better get to work training them," Zodiac subtly gave the order, figuring that's what he was getting at, "Inform me if you find any... Particularly useful Quirks among our lower ranks."

"Yes ma'am."

 **. . .**

"So are any of the girls in your class single?"

Adachi instantly started choking on his breakfast, as Ryou asked her question with the bluntness of a hammer. The boy needing a few moments and good drink of water before he was able to clear his throat, catching his breath as he looked at her, "Wh-What?"

"I mean, all the girls in my class are single, but they're also like my friends so it'd feel weird ya know?" She went on casually, munching on her food idly as she stared off out the window, "But you're class is full of cute girls! Maybe you could hook me up?"

Adachi's face turned deep red, "Hook you... What are you even talking about!?" He exclaimed, trying to process what she was saying.

Ryou burst into laughter at his reaction, "Come on its not that big a deal is it? Just a few numbers! Not like I really have time to start dating but I'd like the option!" She explained, before noting the look on his face. She instantly released another boisterous laugh, "I'm gay you dunce!" She added, amidst her laughter, "Or at least, I've never seen a guy that really interested me," She shrugged with the afterthought, "So come oooon! You've gotta have a few numbers!"

The boy blinked in surprise, slowly processing that, "O-Oh you're... Uh, wow, sorry I didn't realize." He laughed nervously, seeming to calm down a bit as he rubbed the back of his head, "B-But I uh... Don't think I can do that, sorry."

"Ugh, you're no fun..." Ryou pouted in an exaggerated manner, after finishing her food, "What about the pink girl? You hang around her all the time you've gotta have her number! She's super cute!"

And just like that his face was red once more, "THE PINK GIRL IS OFF THE TABLE!" He practically roared, not realizing how loud he was until it was too late.

But Ryou just laughed louder in response, seeing him so flustered as she leaned back in her chair, "HaHA! I knew it!"

"Kn-Knew what!?" He demanded, starting to sweat with a guilty look on his face.

Ryou's laughter slowly started to die down to a chuckle, as she wiped her eyes clear from laughing so hard, "Oh nothing~ Come on, we've got more training to do before the days over!"

Without waiting for him to respond, she bolted up from her seat. Stretching and racing out the door ahead of him, leaving Adachi sitting there confused as he calmed down. He sighed heavily and rose from his seat as well, stretching a bit before following, _"She's so bubbly today... It's kinda like how she acts at school but... More intense? She must be having a lot of fun."_

 **. . .**

 **Seven Hours Later**

 **. . .**

Ryou landed on her feet, smirking proudly at her "apprentice" and nodding, "Yeah, I think that'll do, how are you feeling?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Adachi himself was sweating heavily, gasping for breath as he gripped his sore arms, "I... I think I'm okay, that training was..."

Ryou chuckled in amusement, "Yeah you probably weren't expecting combat training, but I think it helped! It may be a quick fix but this should help you get by in your Practical Exam!"

Adachi nodded, the soreness quickly fading as he looked up at her, "Yeah, I think so..." He stretched out his arms a bit, any remaining pain seemed to have vanished and there was no sign of muscle tearing. He smiled lightly and clenched his fists, "Well, I guess that's it, I'll pack up my things and get out of your hair." He chuckled, "I'm sure you've got some studying or training you want to do too."

Ryou waved him off, "Nah, I've got all my bases covered! Do you wanna stay for dinner?" She asked curiously.

"I wouldn't want to impose..." Adachi answered unsure, knowing his parents were probably expecting him home any time now.

"Nonsense!" Ryou laughed, voice booming throughout the small park, "Come on! Just a proper send off, for good luck in your coming exams!"

Adachi was having trouble saying no to that smile, and conceded defeat, "Alright sure, that sounds good."

Ryou fist pumped, "YES!"

And just like that Adachi was following her back inside, relaxing at the kitchen table because she refused to let him help. But he didn't complain, simply enjoying some idle chatter about their classmates, maybe gossiping a bit as she cooked.

It was so strange seeing her doing something so... Normal? As the now apron clad amazonian girl fried rice and chopped up the fish for their meal. And she was really good at it too, but Adachi had already known that from eating her food before. Though the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was probably because she lived here all alone. At first he'd praised her for the independence, but they way she was acting now made him realize maybe it wasn't all that fun being here by herself...

"There you go! Eat up!" Ryou grinned, setting down the steaming hot plates of food at the table before taking her own seat.

"Thank you," Adachi nodded his head, "I wish you'd let me help, but I'd probably have screwed it up anyways." He chuckled lightly, breaking the chopsticks and starting to eat.

"Oh don't worry about it! I like cooking," She laughed lightly as she began eating as well, "The first day of school I brought in a whole tray of cupcakes for my class!" She added through a mouthful.

Adachi chuckled at the thought, swallowing his first bite, "You seem to try really hard when it comes to making friends." He noted absentmindedly.

"Yeah, I guess I do..." Ryou answered, her smile faltering a little before she continued eating quietly.

The lizard boy quirked an eyebrow at that, wondering if he'd said something wrong, "What's up? Did I just accidentally kill every bit of joy in the air?" He asked curiously.

Ryou chuckled softly at that, "No no, its fine I just... Well, to be completely honest with you," She looked up from her food, "I've never really had friends before... Not until coming to UA that is, so I guess... Yeah, I tried really hard to make friends when I got there." She explained.

Adachi blinked in surprise, "That's... Crazy! I mean, you're so cool Ryou! You're so nice, how could you possibly have had no friends before now?" He asked confused.

Ryou sighed lightly, "My situation before UA was... Complicated." She stated, not sure if she wanted to dump all of her past on him right now, "Let's just say, I didn't do a whole lot of smiling before I came to UA."

Adachi frowned at that, trying to imagine a sad Ryou and having trouble putting the image in his head, "Well I'm... Sorry to hear that, but I'm glad things have worked out for you." He added, giving her a friendly smile.

"Yeah, so am I." She smiled back, nodding her head.

Adachi took another bite of his food, before adding something that had also been on his mind, "And hey... Thanks for not acting weird around me or anything." Wanting to shift the subject so she didn't feel uncomfortable.

Making Ryou raise an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean... I've noticed how others have been looking at me since I showed up school like this," He explained, motioning to his emaciated body and right arm, "Everyone's been kinda... I guess just treating me differently since I came back," Adachi shrugged, leaning back in his chair, "Like I'm fragile or something... But, I'm not." He added, looking back up at her from his scarred hand, "And you didn't show me any kind of pity, you just walked right up and told me you were gonna help me get back up, and I appreciate that."

Ryou looked at him slightly surprised, not realizing he would be worried about something like that, "Wow I... Hey you know what, no problem!" She grinned, nodding her head to him.

Adachi chuckled in response to her enthusiasm, before a buzzing in his pocket drew his attention. Pulling out his phone he saw it was a message from his mother, "Sorry to eat and run, but Mom wants me home sooner rather than later." He sighed, standing up from the table, "But thanks again for the good food, and the training." He added with a smile.

"Of course, no problem," Ryou answered eagerly, jumping up from her seat, "And hey my place is always open if you need help or just wanna talk!" She added quickly.

"I appreciate that." Adachi said, grabbing his bag and heading for the door, "I'll see you at school, good luck with your Exams!"

As she waved him off, and the door closed behind him, Ryou watched him go with a creeping feeling in her heart. As the silence settled in, his footsteps disappearing the further he got from her door, she settled back into her seat. Leaning back, staring up at the ceiling as she was left in the lonely silence once again _.  
_ Contemplating these interesting feelings inside of her, _"I wonder if he'd feel the same if he knew the truth..."_

It was always the doubt, no matter how little, that spoke the loudest in her quiet moments...


	31. Practical Exam, A Change of Plans!

**Deku: Yyyep! I wasn't sure how I wanted to handle her at first, but the more i thought about it the more I just couldn't see my big buff amazonian babe having a love interest that was a boy lol maybe its because I would want to pair her with a more sensitive boy and I other than Midoriya we really don't see that in My Hero Academia XD**

 **ANYWAYS PSA TIME!**

 **So this last three chapter this weekend will cover the rest of the Practical Exams if you couldn't already guess that. Then I'll be taking a short break, maybe 2-3 weeks, before starting on the camping trip. I like how the story has progressed and changed from the original and I'm glad that most others like it too!**

* * *

The first half of the week went by pretty fast, with the students spending most of their day on the Written Exam. The Practical was set to begin after the Written Tests were all finished up, so it likely wouldn't be until the end of the week. Which gave Adachi a few more precious hours of practice to get himself ready. He did a bit of muscle work but nothing too intense, he was more focused on passing his written tests. But by the way he felt after finishing those tests, he wasn't so sure he could rely on those grades to pass alone...

Either way, when the boy woke up that morning he wasn't expecting the phone call he'd be getting as he ate breakfast and prepared for school. Knowing that today would be the Practical Exam he was already on edge, sure fighting robots wouldn't be too hard but he still had his doubts about putting that training with Ryou into practice.

"Yes this is the Adachi Residence," Shisui said as she answered the phone, "Oh, Mr. Aizawa, what can I do for- You want to speak to Kaiji? Is he in trouble?" The boys head perked up, listening in as best he could, "Alright sure..." She turned around, looking to Kaiji as she held out the phone, "He wants to speak with you."

"That's weird..." Kaiji muttered, reaching out for the phone.

"You better not be in trouble." She warned narrowing her eyes as she handed it off to him.

The boy laughed nervously in response, "I didn't do anything, I think..." Before putting the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

"Adachi, this is your homeroom teacher," Aizawa greeted simply, "There's been a change of plans with your Practical Exam, don't come in this morning."

Adachi stiffened slightly, eyes widening, "What? Why?" He asked quickly, grip tightening as he feared the worst, that maybe his injury had gotten him into some kind of trouble, "Aren't I taking the same exam as everyone else?"

"Yes, but yours won't be until later today, come in at the end of the school day, get suited up and meet me at the training field for you Exam, don't be late." Without waiting for Adachi to ask anymore questions, he hung up.

The boy sat in silence, putting down the phone as he thought about what this could mean, "Hey," Shisui chimed in, taking the phone and setting it back on the receiver, "What's up?"

"I'm... Not really sure." Adachi answered, looking down at his scarred hand, _"Are they really going to... To treat me differently now because of this?"_ His fist clenched tightly suddenly, a spark of anger rising in him, _"I'll show them... I'll show them I'm still strong!"_

 **. . .  
**

Waiting around all day was agonizing, he tried to message his friends while he was on his way to UA hoping for some kind of explanation but he only got silence from Ashido. And Kirishima told him that they weren't allowed to tell him about the Exam. Though Adachi had figured as much, so now after suiting up he was making his way out to the training field where he'd be meeting Mr. Aizawa for this... Special Exam?

"Right on time, good." The man greeted him in a usual, bored tone. But he could also see a strange fire in Adachi's eyes, though he didn't make any mention of it.

"Is this where I'm taking my Exam?" Adachi asked, looking around the empty field where they'd taken most of their Quirk Assessment Test at the start of the year, "I don't see any Robots."

"Follow me." He said simply, turning and leading him off the field. Adachi forced to follow without much information, as Aizawa lead him to one of the faux cities they'd used during the Entrance Exam, "Things are a bit different this year, I'm glad everyone heeded my warning and didn't tell you anything..."

"Different for everyone or different for me?" Adachi asked, perhaps sharper than he'd meant too.

Aizawa stopped at the gate, turning halfway around and looking at him, "Is there a problem here?"

Adachi shook his head, "No," He answered simply, raising his scarred arm, "So long as you remember, that this doesn't mean I'm any less powerful than I was at the Festival." He warned, "So you'd better not be treating my test any different than the other students..."

Eraser Head actually cracked a small smirk at that, "Hmmph, good to see your injuries didn't dampen your spirit at all... But the brutal truth is, you are weaker, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not," He said bluntly, "However, I don't want you getting by on a handicap, so your test is going to be scored much more severely than the others... Now first let me explain that this year you first years won't be fighting robots." Aizawa stated, earning a surprised look from Adachi, "To better improve your training, we paired up the students in groups of two and pitted them against a Teacher of my choosing based on various factors."

"They... They fought the teachers!?" Adachi exclaimed in shock, forgetting all about his frustrations.

"So, to balance your situation, and to deal with both Class 1-A and 1-B having an uneven number of students," Aizawa continued, looking off towards approaching footsteps, "I'm pitting you against the most powerful teacher we've got at UA."

Adachi turned his head slowly, as that familiar laugh filled the air, " **I** am here! To test you!" He declared, suited up fully in uniform as he approached them both.

"I-I have to beat All Might!?" Adachi stammered.

"While also paired up with the highest ranking Class 1-B student." Aizawa added.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey ADACHI!" His eyes darted up, spotting Ryou standing on top of the wall to the faux city. She was dressed up in her own costume, and it was quite the sight!

Her lower half was garbed in baggy pants similar to the gi bottoms of Adachi's own costume, colored of black with white lines tracing through it the same way lights ran through her body when she powered up, her feet protected by black combat boots. While the upper half of her costume was a body suit similar to All Mights, colored white with steel grey metal bracers around her lower forearms and wrists. Attached to the back of her shirt was a long flowing blue cape as well!

"Ryou," Adachi muttered, smirking slightly and suddenly feeling a lot better about his chances as she jumped down, "Alright... So what are the rules?"

"Your objective to win is to place these handcuffs on your teacher." Aizawa said, holding up the pair of cuffs, "Or you may also win by managing to escape from the combat stage through a designated Gate, you've got 30 Minutes to complete the Exam or else you fail." He explained, "But to make things a little more fair, all the teachers were forced to wear ultra compressed weights to slow them down and eat up their stamina, so don't think All Might will be fighting you at 100%... Now then." Aizawa turned to All Might and gave him a nod

"Right, I shall get to my position... But remember students, do not think of me as your teacher think of me as a villain, this is a fight to stay alive as far as you're concerned!" The Number One Hero exclaimed, before turning and heading into the training grounds, _"That boy, I can't believe how much his body has weakened."_ He thought to himself as he went, _"I know I'm supposed to be testing him but... No, I can't give him any special treatment, I know what he's capable of... I'll back you into a corner, Young Adachi, and see how far you can go beyond!"_

As the doors closed behind All Might, Aizawa looked back at the two of them, "You've got ten minutes to discuss tactics or say your prayers, whichever you prefer." He said simply, walking off to the observation area to watch the Exam.

"Say our prayers huh?" Adachi muttered under his breath, "No way... I'm not backing down now," He nodded his head and looked to Ryou, "You ready for probably the hardest fight of our lives?"

Ryou grinned and nodded, "You bet I am! Now lets talk strategy! I hope you know I won't accept victory by escape, we take him down or we don't pass!"

Adachi chuckled in response to her enthusiasm, "I wouldn't want it any other way!"

 **. . .**

All eyes turned to the door as Aizawa stepped inside, "Alright, everything is ready to go." He said simply, moving to the monitors to watch in place of Recovery Girl. While a handful of students from Class 1-A and 1-B watched as well. Most of them were a bit scuffed up still from their own matches against the teachers today, but they'd stuck around after school to watch their friends take the Practical as well.

"It'd be best if Adachi went for the escape gate," Asui pointed out, " _Ribbit,_ Bakugou and Midoriya just barely passed, and in his condition..."

"He's got Ryou watching his back," Tetsutetsu scoffed, crossing his arms, "So long as that weakling doesn't slow her down they'll be fine!"

"Hey that weakling beat her in the Festival," Kirishima reminded him with a smirk, "So let's have a little faith, they've got this!"

"I wish Deku was here," Uraraka chimed in as well, frowning, "But Recovery Girl said he still needed some work... He'd have loved to see this fight too."

As they kept bickering, Aizawa leaned back in his chair while watching the screens, "To be perfectly blunt, I don't think these two have as good a chance as Midoriya and Bakugou did."

"Huuuuh!?" Ashido questioned, looking over at him, "What makes you think that? Both Ryou and Adachi are awesome!"

"They're good, no doubt about it," Aizawa answered, "However, in this situation, just like with Midoriya and Bakugou, it would be best to run away... Those two realized it too late, and only really escaped because of their quick thinking and mobility, that's something Adachi lacks and in his currently injured state he probably won't see running away as a viable option... Not when his pride is on the line."

"Pride?" Kendo repeated, quirking an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I only saw it for a second, but that boy's got something to prove here today," The teacher explained, "Another product of his injury... The moment he thought I was going to be giving him special treatment because of his weakened state... Well, he certainly looked like he was going to prove me wrong."

"Ryou mentioned that," Tetsutetsu sighed, looking back to the screens as the doors of the training area began to open, "Said during their training he didn't want to be treated differently than anyone else..."

"Training?" Aizawa quirked an eyebrow, "Those two trained together?"

Ashido nodded, "Yeah, I guess Ryou wanted to give Adachi some special training before the Practical Exam, they worked together all weekend."

"Interesting..." Aizawa trailed off, the two participants stepping through the Gate, _"I put them together based on scoring to give Adachi a more balanced chance but, if these two have already worked together... Hmm, looks like you might have a better chance than I thought."_ Aizawa thought to himself, hiding a faint smirk.

 **"Team Adachi and Ryou, Practical Exam!"**

 **"Ready... GO!"**


	32. Ryou's Ultimate Power, Breaking Limits

**Sandman001: Yeeep! That's why I had Adachi and Ryou take the exam later in the day, assuming everyone else had exams that morning when they arrived at school, she he could take a few hours of rest.**

 **Vedahzii: Yeah sorry to say I think the break is a must for me to get some stuff sorted and get ahead of the game with the new series of chapters. But hopefully these last two chapters before the break are good enough to hold you over! Let me just say I loved writing this one, and I had a really REALLY hard time deciding how it would end and went through like 4 different outcomes before deciding on this one XD  
**

* * *

"I think our best chance is to try and immobilize him." Adachi explained, standing before the mighty gates as their time ticked away. It wouldn't be long before they opened and the test would begin, "I have an idea... Something I noticed about these fake cities that Kirishima mentioned a while ago."

Ryou was listening intently, "What was it? You wanna drop a building on him or something?"

Adachi chuckled in response, "Right idea, but wrong direction," He said cryptically, "Kirishima said these big fake cities actually have a big empty sewer system beneath them."

Ryou blinked in surprise, "Whoa really? That sounds like an easy way to slip past him but..."

"But I think we're both in agreement," Adachi nodded, finishing her thought, "We either win by capture, or we don't win at all."

"So what's the plan?"

"I want you to distract him," Adachi explained, "Hit him with everything you've got, or at least keep his attention on you... And at the moment I see an opening I'll slip away, try to get him to the center of the city, once I'm in position I'll break through the ground beneath him and immobilize him in my full power form."

"Full power?" Ryou repeated, frowning, "But... In your state can you even maintain that?"

"Not for long without injuring myself," Adachi stated, though he hadn't exactly tested that theory, he wasn't going to reveal that much, "I'll have a few minutes, maybe... In that time, once he's immobilized you swoop in and cuff him."

Ryou nodded her head eagerly, "Alright, I like it, we can do this!"

"Ryou," Adachi stopped her insistent bouncing with a calmer tone, taking a deep breath and grinning, "No matter what happens, let's both give it our all! Just like at the Festival, no holding back!" He said, raising a fist to her.

Rinsuke watched his hand for a moment, not used to such a gesture, _"No... Holding back..."_ She tightened her grip on her left hand, brought her fist up and bumped his own, "Adachi, I promise I won't let you down!"

 **. . .**

 **"Team Adachi and Ryou, Practical Exam!"**

 **"Ready... GO!"**

All Might was standing in the city center, eyes locked on the direction of the entrance gate they'd be coming from. The Number One Hero was ready to stop them, if they decided to try and break through with brute force or go around, he'd catch them. Just like Midoriya and Bakugou, he wasn't going to give them any kind of pass just because they were kids, he had to push them to the limit.

"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow, spotting two figures approaching dead ahead. They were moving pretty fast, most likely running, "Here they come... Alright students," He slowly drew back on mighty fist, " **I** am here, to test you!"

Throwing his fist forward, he unleashed a mighty burst of force. Just as he'd done in the other Exam, the gust of wind tore through the street racing towards the two students coming into view. But Before it could hit them, a counter blast of force was unleashed, erupting from Ryou and expanding rapidly in all directions. The two waves collided and unleashed a thunder clap. Dust rising between the opposing forces, obscuring the students from his view.

"Hmm, she countered," All Might noted, slightly impressed, "But even so I won't let a smokescreen stop- Hnngh!?" His eyes widened, as the form of Ryou suddenly pierced through the cloud with incredible speed. No doubt having done a boosted jump to close the distance so quickly, but All Might had witnessed such an attack before and prepared to counter knowing she couldn't stop herself. Cocking back one mighty fist to flatten her in an instant, "Such a straight forward attack would never work on me!"

But just before they reached one another, Ryou's determined face twisted into a grin, "Final Release!"

"What!?" All Might exclaimed, forced to shield himself as the massive explosion of force was unleashed from Ryou's body. Sending him sliding back on his heels and buffeting his body hard since she'd released it at such close range.

Ryou herself landed on the ground, resealing her final release just as quickly as she'd fired it off, knowing overuse of it would injure her body. The street around them torn completely to shreds, asphalt ripped from the ground, windows shattered and lamp posts broken down. But she didn't give All Might even a second to think, lunging forward after springing off her heels, "HAAAAAH!" Throwing a punch at the Number One Hero.

But All Might countered, knocking her incoming fist aside and catching her by the face lifting Ryou right off the ground, "A good try! But coming at me alone was a terrible plan." He warned, as Ryou gripped his arm trying to pull away his hand, "I suppose I understand, making Young Adachi run for the exit while you hold me off is a sound strategy, were it not for the colossal gap in our power."

"Ha! Who said I was alone?" Ryou demanded, grinning at him, "ADACHI NOW!" She cried, eyes darting to All Might's left.

"Huh?" The Heroes head snapped to that direction, expecting a surprise attack, "GAH!" He gasped in pain, as Ryou drove both legs into his ribs hard. Making his grip loosen enough for her to break free and jump back.

"Made you look!" She laughed with childish delight, taking her fighting stance, "This is fun! I've always wanted to spar with you All Might!" Ryou said eagerly.

"That was a cheap shot," All Might grunted, rubbing his left side. Unbeknownst to Ryou, she'd struck his old injury pretty hard, "Not very Heroic if you ask me..."

"Yeah well you're supposed to be a villain," Ryou answered simply, grinning at him playfully, "So who cares what you think! NOW LETS GOOOOO!" Her body igniting with the light flowing through her veins, pulsing blue running through her body as she launched herself at him once again, _"Come on, just a little longer! I need to give Adachi more time!"_ They were already near the city center, so it was just a matter of keeping him near a manhole cover and making enough noise to signal the location to her partner...

But All Might wasn't planning on letting her get so close just yet. He swung a mighty fist forward, powered by his Quirk, "Texaaas SMASH!" The blast of wind released from it was enough to send Ryou flying back through the air. The girl backflipping as she went, managing to level herself out and land on her feet, _"She's got incredible reach thanks to her size, meaning I can't be too careless with grapples unless I can lock down her whole body..."_ He reasoned, eyes narrowing sharply at her, _"You've improved so much Ryou, I had no idea you'd become so skilled... I'll have to take her down quickly and find Young Adachi before he has a chance to get through that gate!"_

It was his turn to attack, blasting forward with his insane speed, "Carolinaaaa SMASH!" His cross chop strike aiming for Ryou's torso

"Hnngh!" Ryou gasped in pain, the blow sending her flying and crashing through the street. She could feel her ribs cracking from the strike, but forced herself up the moment she'd come to a stop, "D-Damn..." She winced in pain, but the smile never left her face, "B-Breaking out the big guns huh? Good..." She looked around, noting her current position and looking back to All Might, _"I've gotta get him back into the center."_ Clenching her fists, "I only gave you a short burst earlier, but I can't hold back either! SO LETS GO!" She cried, "Final RELEASE!" Another explosive shockwave released from her body, energy crackling around her form.

"Show me your Limit young Ryou! And see if you can GO BEYOND!" All Might urged, both forces blasting forward to meet one another in the center of the street.

All Might blocked her first punch a raised arm, throwing his left fist forward. Ryou took the blow to her chin, sliding back a few feet as All Might pressed the advantage. But just as he threw a second punch, she sprung off the backfoot, spinning and delivering a powerful kick to the side of All Might's head at the same time his punch struck her cheek. The impacts making both of them stumble back. But before Ryou could recover All Might grabbed her by the arm yanking the young hero right back in for a vicious headbutt making the girl cry out in pain.

"You are quite impressive Young Ryou!" He said, gripping her arm tighter and lifting her up off her feet, "But alone you don't have a chance against me."

Ryou was panting slightly, wincing as a bit of blood trickled from a cut on her forehead where the skin broke, "I-I already promised, I am not gonna let my partner down!" She kicked her legs forward aiming for his ribs once again, but this time All Might blocked them with his free hand.

"I won't let you get in another shot like that," He chuckled, putting on a wicked facade before he turned and slammed her into the ground hard enough to create an explosion of dust and dirt, "You still think too straightforward," All Might warned, watching as Ryou sprung to her feet, holding herself up on shaky legs, "The most clever thing you've done was that cheap shot earlier."

Ryou stayed focused, her back to the center of the city now. She was backing up slowly towards the center as All Might lumbered towards her, "Maybe..." Her eyes darting to his feet quickly, "But that's why... I wasn't the one who came up with this plan! ADACHI NOW!"

All Might scoffed, not taking his eyes off her, "I won't fall for that agai-"

The earth beneath his feet erupted, taking All Might completely off guard. As his eyes darted downward, he only just barely saw the massive scaled arms breaking through the earth torn up by his attack. Both of them wrapped around his ankles as Adachi started rising from the ground, **"GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**

 _"He wasn't making a run for it after all!"_ All Might realized too late, as Adachi swung him down hard, slamming All Might into the earth over and over again, _"He found his way into the sewer system of the city, but how did he know we were here!?"_

"Hold him still!" Ryou cried out, racing towards them with the cuffs in hand.

 **"Right!"** Adachi was throwing all his weight on All Might, trying to keep him down as his body burned. Transforming hurt, his body too weak to sustain it for long so if this didn't end soon-

"New Hampshire SMASH!" Just as Ryou reached them, he threw a punch at the air between them. The force it created sent Ryou flying, while All Might's own body was blasted back, slamming right into Adachi's massive torso, knocking the beast right off his feet and sending them both crashing through the wall of a ruined store nearby. Rubble and glass raining down on the beast as All Might sprung free, _"That was close..."_

"ADACHI!" Ryou cried out, struggling back to her feet near the center of the street.

"A good plan but you overestimated Adachi's ability to hold me down," All Might stated calmly, stretching his muscles as he looked between them. Adachi staggering forward out of the ruined shop and falling his knees, "Your plan was a gamble, and it failed." He added insult to injury, though on the inside he was relieved, _"Good that this end quickly... I was already at my limit earlier and that short rest wasn't enough to leave me at 100%!"_

 _"Dammit!"_ Adachi winced in pain, his body starting to revert back, _"Already!? I-I've barely been transformed more than a minute or two!?"_ He slowly stood back up, in his scrawny, weak human form while glaring at All Might, "Y-You think that was our only plan?" He bluffed, holding his fighting stance.

All Might laughed in response, "Oh really? You've got more schemes? Well lets see if any of them can help you pass before the time runs out."

Ryou grit her teeth, clenching her fists and powering up, "Who needs a plan when you've got power like THIS!" The gust of wind being unleashed from her body, she dashed forward to meet All Might.

The hero turned to face her, preparing to intercept but mid run the pain in her ribs shot through her body once more. Making her stumble right into All Might's fist. The blow decked her clean, laying her out on the ground as she gasped for breath, "You've already reached your limit, but I must commend you Young Ryou, not many could last so long in combat against me!"

Adachi watched her go down as All Might stood over Ryou, clenching his fists. _"Dammit this isn't good... We don't have much chance here if this fight continues but... If I can just give Ryou an opening,"_ He took a deep breath, focusing as best he could, "HEY! Leave my partner alone, I'm your opponent now!" Adachi ordered, throwing his hat aside as he started marching towards the Number One Hero.

All Might looked back towards him, quirking an eyebrow, "I see... And you won't back down any time soon, so I'll have to knock you out as well." He decided, lunging forward to meet the boy with his inhuman speed, "THIS FIGHT IS OVER!"

Adachi attacked as well, trying to use what Ryou taught him but he couldn't focus! Swinging his fist forward only for All Might to ignore the blow completely and grab him by the face lifting him off his feet, "D-Dammit! I-If I could just..." He was starting to panic, heart racing as he tried to think of any way at all that they might get out of this.

"You boasted that you hadn't gotten any weaker, and even tried to fight despite knowing that no amount of bravado could make up for the power you've lost." All Might scolded, "That's why you lost here, you should have set aside your pride and done the smart thing making a break for the exit."

Ryou was on her knees, wincing in pain holding her ribs, _"I... If I just..."_ Gritting her teeth as she struggled, not only with pain but indecision.

"Y-You're right..." Ryou's eyes darted up, her struggles ceasing as she looked to Adachi. The boy cringing in pain as he looked at All Might, "I... I should have just swallowed my stupid pride and admitted I wasn't strong enough," The Number One Hero dropped him unceremoniously to let him speak, Adachi forcing himself to his hands and knees, "So that's it... I guess I've failed the Exam," Before his eyes suddenly darted up to All Might, "RYOU GO!" He shouted, at the same time lunging forward at All Might, "RUN FOR THE EXIT!" He started pulling back one fist, aiming it for All Might's perfect jaw.

All Might didn't even need to move, raising a hand to deflect the incoming blow. But to his surprise, on impact he felt an incredible amount of force behind the strike. Noticing that Adachi's arm had swelled a bit, scales starting to form along it but they were fading away quickly, _"What on earth was that?"_

"Gah!" Adachi gasped stumbling back, gripping his right arm, _"That was... That was almost it!"_ He narrowed his eyes sharply, lunging for All Might once more, "HRAAAAH!"

As if testing his limit, All Might met him knuckle to knuckle. Adachi's arm growing larger and scalier, carrying more force, something closer to one hundred percent of his power falling behind the attack, _"I see... He seems to be learning how to focus his transformation, or at least control how much he begins to transform."_ Before knocking the boys arm aside and driving a powerful knee into his stomach.

Effectively forcing out the contents of his stomach as the boy fell to his knees gasping in pain and gripping his ribs, "Gaah! Haah... Ngh! D-Dammit!" He gasped and growled, gritting his teeth in pain.

"ADACHI!" Ryou cried out, eyes flickering.

 _"I should end this now,"_ All Might thought as he watched the boy struggle to get up, _"But... He's pushing his limit here, he's already started grasping a new method of applying his Quirk... This is supposed to be an exam but maybe..."_

 _"H-He's cancelling out my power entirely with his strength but... He's focusing on that counter,"_ He was forcing his body to move even as his barely existent muscles cried out in protest, _"If I can just..."_ The idea was forming in his head, the boy suddenly back stepping from All Might as fast as his weary limbs would allow, "Ryou GO!" Adachi shouted, noticing she hadn't moved, placing himself between All Might and her.

"I-I can't!" Ryou answered, a mixture of pain and her own hesitation stopping her from moving. Unlike Adachi, she'd never faced real villains before and though this was just an exercise she couldn't decide what to do. She knew running in her state was a bad idea, not when she could still-

The Number One Hero shook his head, "Your stamina is shot, I told Aizawa I didn't like this plan of his..." All Might released a sigh, taking no pleasure in seeing one of his students so damaged, "Even so, you've impressed me with your resolve Young Adachi, then again I always knew you weren't one to give up easily, and even now you've somehow started mastering more skill over your Quirk! You're practically on a whole new skill level since the festival if only your body was in better condition... But even if you can draw 100% percent of your power, both of you," His eyes darting to Ryou as well, "It won't be enough to defeat me."

Adachi released a slow, deep breath and closed his eyes, _"If I don't time this right..."_ His right arm began to swell and grow scales, "We'll just see about that won't we!" Adachi broke into a full sprint towards him, "COME ON ALL MIGHT!" His right fist cocked back, "SEE IF YOU CAN CANCEL OUT THIS ATTACK!"

 _"To still be able to move like this,"_ All Might narrowed his eyes sharply, preparing to intercept the attack, "Very well, I accept your challenge! SHOW ME YOUR POWER!" And cocked back his own fist, ready to cancel out his attack once more.

"Adachi STOP!" Ryou called out to him, knowing this wouldn't work. Even if it meant failure she'd rather that happen than him suffer permanent damage of any kind.

"HRAAAAH!" Adachi swung his fist forward, All Might's own racing forward to meet it knuckle to knuckle. On impact, the boy hissed in pain as his flimsy weak arm snapped back, broken. All the power draining from it in an instant, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

All Might's eyes widened, darting downward to see his left arm swinging upward. But it wasn't weak and frail as his right one had been, this one was fully transformed, covered in scales and rippling muscles, _"I-Impossible! He switched the power to his left side at the last second even at the cost of his right arm!?"_

And for a split second All Might was wide open, "DRAAGOOON! FIST!"

The Number One Hero's head snapped back on impact from the uppercut, lifting him a few inches off his feet before he fell back on the ground. Adachi himself panted heavily, arm shrinking back to normal size as he gripped his now broken right arm while the left one throbbed with pain, "Tssst! D-Dammit that hurts!" He hissed, looking to All Might as he laid sprawled out on the ground, "D-Did I... Get him?"

Ryou watched in awe, excitement filled her eyes as she stared at him, _"Incredible... Even in his state he..."_ She felt her nails digging into the dirt, as that excitement turned to frustration, _"And I'm just... Sitting here! Because I'm too afraid of... DAMMIT!"_

A few hard coughs drew both their attention, as All Might began to rise rubbing some blood from his lip, "An impressive blow... Truly, you caught me completely off guard with that stunt, even if it was reckless." After getting back up on his feet, All Might marched towards Adachi as if nothing had even happened, "You are good at thinking on your feet, seizing the critical moment... But you put too much hope in a last ditch effort, running would have been a much better option."

Adachi released a heavy, shaken sigh, "I guess that's it... We lost." He didn't bother looking up at All Might, sitting on his knees as he sunk in defeat.

"H-Hey!" All Might turned, looking to Ryou who stood on shaky legs, "You think this is over already?" She asked, eyes narrowing with intensity burning in them, "You said 100% isn't enough to defeat you? Then FINE!" Clenching her fists tightly the air around her body began to crackle with static, the earth shaking around her, "I'll just have to go beyond that!" She declared, eyes wide as her body pulsed with energy, "This fight is over... In 30 Seconds!"

 _"She's still got fight left in her? Shit... This is bad, this is really bad!"_ All Might could feel the pressure in the air around them and his eyes widened, "Young Ryou... You can't possibly be-"

"Plus Ultra RELEASE!"

All Might was forced to shield himself, the massive burst of force released tore the street apart into nothing but a crater. Adachi was sent flying by the blast, while even All Might struggled to withstand its force. Buildings around the city center were crumbling, nothing but shambled ruins left over from such incredible power being released all at once. All Might looked on to Ryou herself, the girl's body was trembling, muscles bulged slightly larger than usual while her eyes were nothing but glowing blue with no visible pupils.

"30... Seconds..." Ryou muttered, before lunging at him, _"Adachi gave everything he had, even though he's injured... He's helped me in ways he doesn't even know and I've just watched him fight because I'm too scared of what I can do! BUT I'M NOT AFRAID ANYMORE!"  
_

"GAH!" All Might gasped in pain, the blow knocking him clean off his feet and sending him flying. But Ryou didn't let him get far, grabbing him by the leg and spinning around, throwing him right into nearby ruins, making the buildings collapse on top of him. A second later however the rocks were blown away as All Might rose to his feet looking no worse for wear, _"Incredible... This power, this speed!"_

An earthquake rocked the area, as Ryou launched herself at him again. This time All Might just barely managing to counter with his own fist. Nearby buildings collapsing from the shockwave the impact created.

 _"With these weights on, and at my limit,_ _I can barely keep up!"_ He realized in awe of her unrestrained power, _"Is this it? Is this the power that leveled her neighborhood and reduced her home to a smoldering crater!?"_

But he hardly had time to think about it, as she knocked aside his attack and drove her knee into his stomach, "HAAAH!" Ryou roared, voice thundering with some terrible power behind it. She began delivering rapid fire blows left and right, pummeling All Might over every inch of his body, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Her voice echoing throughout the city. The bolts of energy crackling off her body singed and burned away at All Might's costume while she was in close proximity.

Adachi struggled to his feet at the far end of the city center, or what was left of it, "Ryou this is... Amazing..." He muttered in awe as he watched her, wincing as he held his broken arm, "But how long can you keep it up?" He asked himself, before narrowing his eyes and moving in, "I can't let this chance slip by..."

All Might was completely on the defensive, but he knew Ryou was a straightforward fighter. Her punches were becoming predictable, if he just waited for the right moment- _"NOW!"_

"Hngh!" Ryou was struck clean across the jaw. But to All Might's surprise, she didn't budge, his fist planted firmly against her cheek and the shock traveling through her body but the girl refused to give up any ground! "HyyyYAAAAGH!" The kick to his jaw sent All Might skyward. And Ryou jumped right up to meet him, raising her hands above her head and bringing them together, the two of them in the air high above the ruins, "MEGATON BREAKER!"

All Might just barely got his arms up in time to defend himself, body smoking. The impact from her strike sending him blasting towards the ground, while the shockwave blew away all nearby clouds in the sky. The Hero was sent crashing into the ground below, while Ryou began to fall as well right along with him. Power leaving her body with that attack, her skin discolored, muscles shredded. The skin on her knuckles raw and damaged from her excessive force. Her costume was in tatters as well, the protective gauntlets had been utterly destroyed by the power she'd unleashed and the crackling energy left her clothes with various burns.

As she fell from the sky, her eyes started to go dark, _"Adachi I..."_

Lucky for her, All Might got to his feet fast enough to catch her out of the air. The Hero panted heavily, looking down at her unconscious body in his arms, "Rinsuke Ryou... You truly are incredible," He muttered, _"Even though I chose Young Midoriya to inherit One For All, you could become one of the most powerful Heroes of this generation... Shit, I'm at my limit... I can... I can barely move with these weights!"_ His body was smoking now, he was starting to revert to his true form as he fell back on the ground, "Ngh! Th-This is bad..."

"GOTCHYA!"

"Hnngh!?" All Might's eyes darted to the voice in fear, as he watched Adachi swoop in and cuff his right arm linking them together.

Before the boys eyes widened in shock, looking at the true form of the Number One Hero, "A-All Might!?"

 **"Team Adachi and Ryou have passed the Exam!"**

 **"All Practical Exams for Class 1-A and 1-B have been completed!"**

The announcement didn't even register, as Adachi cried out in dismay, "OH NO WE BROKE ALL MIGHT!"


	33. Truth, The Mall, And Expanding Evil

**Welp here we go with our little finale for the time being. Like I said I'll be taking a break after this and getting ready for the next section of the story so it'll be a few weeks before I start posting again.**

 **Sorry to put you guys on break but it is what it is!**

 **Also I hope you all have a wonderful Easter is you celebrate it!**

 **Without further ado, my send off chapter! See you in a few weeks and I hope you all enjoy :D**

* * *

Adachi sat in one of the nurses beds with his broken arm wrapped in a sling. Ryou laid in a bed adjacent to his, her entire body was wrapped up after a long healing session with Recovery Girl. Both students sat quietly, digesting what they'd been told as All Might stood across from them, along with Izuku Midoriya. The Number One Hero in his "True" form, as he'd described it, giving them... Well, not the full story, just the part about his injury and passing along his Quirk. At first he hadn't wanted to include Midoriya, but just making these kids think he was going to disappear and the symbol of peace would be gone forever also sounded like a bad idea...

"So you're... Going to run out of power for good eventually?" Adachi asked, finally speaking up after hearing the story.

"Unfortunately, yes." All Might nodded his head, "But I'm confident young Midoriya will be an excellent successor as the next Symbol of Peace."

Though Ryou couldn't sit up in her condition, her eyes stared at the ceiling blankly and she remained silent.

"So Midoriya, you're like... The Chosen One or something?" Adachi asked, looking to his classmate. After fighting All Might first hand, he could see the similarities in their power, and it was surprising he never made the connection before.

"I wouldn't say that but... Yeah, I suppose," Midoriya answered nervously, "I'm sorry you had to find out like this... I didn't want to keep any secrets, but All Might can't let this information about his Quirk become public knowledge."

"Please understand, both of you," All Might added in quickly, "The Symbol of Peace, its very existence discourages villainy... If the world knew that this is what I really looked like... Well, it could scare the populace, and embolden villains."

Adachi nodded his head in understanding, "I get it... But," His eyes drifted back to Midoriya, "You're gonna have to do better than second round at the Festival, if you're gonna be the next Symbol of Peace," He said calmly, before smirking faintly, "I'll keep your secret, so long as you don't waste this gift of yours."

Midoriya smiled lightly in response, feeling relieved that he was handling it so well, "I will, I'm going to live up to everyone's expectations... And yours, I respect you a lot Adachi, I promise I won't let you down either."

"A-All Might..." All eyes darted to Ryou, the girl finally speaking up.

The Number One Hero moved to her bedside, "Yes, what is it Ryou?"

"Were you... Did you help me because I was... Were you going to pick me to inherit your power?" She asked, her voice a bit shaky but whether it was emotion or her injuries making it that way was unclear.

All Might nodded, "Yes... For awhile after I met you, I thought you would be the one to inherit One For All."

"I can see why..." Midoriya admitted, though this was the first time he'd heard about it, "Ryou, you're amazing."

"I-I'm... I'm sorry I wasn't who you were looking for." Ryou answered, forcing a small, sad smile as she looked up at him, "I must have really let you down..."

All Might frowned at her sadly, placing a hand on her head, "Rinsuke, you know you could never let me down... It's not that Midoriya was a better candidate, both of you are incredible and if I could grant this power to more than one person I certainly would." He assured, smiling softly, "But I know you Ryou, you want everyone to be happy and smiling, I mean... Just look at what you did to try and pass the exam!" He said, motioning to her bandaged body, "If I granted you One For All, I have no doubt you'd become the next Greatest Hero... You would give absolutely everything you've got, to protect this world, to protect even the smallest most insignificant bit of goodness there is... And it would destroy you."

"Y-You were..." Heat began to rise behind her eyes, "You wanted to protect me..." It wasn't really a question, as her eyes began to run with tears that she couldn't wipe away in her condition.

"I have no doubt that you'll become an amazing hero," All Might continued, giving her a proud smile, "Because ever since the Festival I've seen how you've changed, you aren't just working hard to please everyone anymore... You've got friends that you care about, you're a kind, gentle person who gives 100% all the time." He reached down, grabbing her hand as Ryou cried, "Young Ryou, you're growing into a fine young woman, and I can't wait to see what you do."

"Th-Thank you... All Might," Ryou managed, taking deep breaths to steady her voice as her tears flowed slowly, "I... I promise, I'll keep the truth a secret... And I'll make sure that no matter what, the Symbol of Peace lives on." She assured, her eyes drifting past him, towards Midoriya, "You hear that? No matter what, I've got your back!"

Midoriya blinked in surprise, "O-Oh, you don't have t-"

"Nah she's right," Adachi chimed in finally, smirking as he stood up from his own bed, "We're the only students that know, and you're under a lot of pressure, so if you ever need help you come to us! We've got your back, that's our duty now right? To keep the fledgling Symbol of Peace going!"

The green haired boy looked between them, before nodding his head with a brighter smile, "Both of you, thank you..."

The world had gotten a lot larger for Adachi and his friends, so much had happened in such a short time it was hard to believe how he'd changed so much over the past few months. With new truths in mind, new friends, and new goals he finished his first Semester at UA. Ready to keep pushing forward and finally starting to piece it together, little by little.

The kind of hero he wanted to be...

* * *

Class the following day was a sad sight, as Kirishima, Satou, Kaminari and Ashido lamented their failure in the Practical Exam...

"E-Everyone..." Mina sobbed, "I-I'm looking forward to hearing h-how fun camping w-was..." Wallowing in defeat, as Adachi stood beside her rubbing her back to give some small comfort. Of course he knew she was bummed out, but he also knew she was overreacting a bit, just as she usually did...

"Maybe they'll end up letting you all go," Midoriya doing his best to raise the class spirits, "There might be a last minute twist or something!"

"Stop it Midoirya," Sero chimed in, placing a hand on the boys shoulder, "By saying something like that you're just jinxing them..."

"They said whoever failed the exams would have to skip the training camp and live in summer school hell," Kaminari grumbled, anger welling inside of him, "And we didn't pass so we're all doomed don't you get it Midoriya!?" He suddenly turned around, two fingers raised, "OR DID ALL MIGHT KNOCK ALL THE BRAINS OUT OF YOU!?"

Midoriya cried out in pain as Kaminari poked him in the eyes.

Sero winced a bit before chiming in, "Ease up Kaminari, I might end up stuck in summer school hell too, our team only passed because of Mineta."

"AT LEAST BRING US BACK LOTS OF CAMP SOUVENIRS PLEASE!" Kaminari cried out in addition.

But before more could be said, the door slid open, "Once the bell rings you should be in your seats!" Aizawa said sharply, the students all miraculously finding their way to the safety of their desks nice and quietly as he stepped inside, "Hmph... Good morning, rather than beat around the bush lets get right to it... Unfortunately there are a few of you who did not pass your final exams," He stated calmly, looking over the class, "So when it comes to the training camp in the woods..." His face suddenly twisted in a way Adachi had never seen, a wide grin spreading across his lips, "Everyone is going!"

Instantly the students that failed cried out, "IT'S A LAST MINUTE TWIST!"

"We all really get to go to camp!?" Kirishima asked in disbelief.

"Seriously!?" Ashido added, tears of joy in her eyes.

"Yeah..." Aizawa continued, returning to his usual bored tone, "The good news is that no one bombed the written exam, but five students failed the Practical... Two teams of course, and Sero failed as well."

"Aaah crap I knew it," The tape hero lamented, facepalming, "Mineta made it through the gate but I didn't do near enough to pass..."

"Allow me to explain," The teacher continued, "For the Practical Battles, the teachers all made sure to leave a way for the students to win, otherwise you wouldn't have stood a chance." He stated simply, "We were more interested in seeing how you worked together and approached the task at hand."

"But wait didn't you say the teachers wouldn't be holding back?" Ojirou asked curiously.

"That was just to get you on edge," Aizawa shrugged, "Besides the training camp will focus on building your strength, those who failed need that training the most we were never going to separate you." He explained, grinning once more, "That was just a logical deception we used!"

Adachi sighed in relief, as the other students celebrated, _"Well, at least this means I can get some good physical training over the summer... I'm going to need it."_

"MR. AIZAWA!" Iida bolted upright from his seat holding up a hand, "This is the second time you've lied to us aren't you afraid we'll lose faith in you!?"

"Hmm, that's a good point, I'll consider it," Aizawa answered calmly, "But I wasn't lying to you about everything, failure _is_ failure," His eyes drifting to those students still celebrating, "You'll be getting extra lessons, and frankly they'll be much harder than anything you'd get in summer school."

From there the day continued on with class just like normal, a few extra details given about their trip were handed out to everyone before Mr. Aizawa called it a day. The students of Class 1-A were chatting excitedly while packing up to go, it was the weekend now so they had some time off before the camping trip next week.

"I'm so glad we're all going together," Ojirou said, holding up the booklet everyone was given, "This is gonna fun."

Iida was currently looking through his own booklet, "It seems we'll be at the training camp a full week!"

"I'll need to find a bigger suitcase..." Midoriya noted as he looked in as well.

"Yeah I don't even have a bathing suit." Kaminari chimed in, "Guess I need to buy some stuff."

"That's a good point," Adachi added, sitting on the edge of his desk, "I've got a bag but haven't ever taken an outdoors trip because of my dad's situation..." Thinking about it, he really didn't have anything he'd need for camping!

"GUYS!" Hagakure suddenly cut in, standing between Tokoyami and Shouji, "Since we're off tomorrow and we've finished our Exams I have the BEST Idea! Why doesn't Class 1-A go shopping together!?"

"Hey yeah!" Kaminari grinned, "We've never hung out as a class before!"

"Bakugou!" Kirishima turned to his "friend", "See you there right?"

"I can't think of anything more annoying." The boy waved them off, heading for the door.

"Will you come Todoroki?" Midoriya asked him curiously.

"I visit my mom on days off." He said simply, adjusting his bag strap.

"Fair enough," Adachi shrugged with a smile, "Let us know if we should pick you up anything."

"Right, thanks."

 **. . .**

The evening went by fast, and the next day Adachi and his friends were meeting up with everyone at the shopping mall. A massive structure in the Kiashi Ward, stores all over with clothing and gear for specific quirk body types! It was the perfect place to find everything they could possibly need! And once everyone had met up and discussed what they needed they were scattering like ants, running off in various directions to find what they were looking for with the promise to meet back up at the center a few hours later.

"So what are you gonna need?" Ashido asked curiously, "I know you've never been on a trip like this before so let me help you out!"

Adachi chuckled at that, "Yeah good idea, I think I've got clothes covered I can just use the usual things I wear for training... But I'll definitely need a swimsuit, bug spray, some new shoes too I think?"

"Aaagh! This is gonna be so fun!" Ashido beamed, grabbing his hand and dragging him along, "Adachi's first camping trip!"

He laughed lightly at her enthusiasm, letting her tug him along with no resistance, "You sound a lot more excited than I am, you know this trip is supposed to be about training right?" He asked jokingly.

"I know I know!" She waved him off, "But I'm just so excited! I was so worried I wouldn't get to come because I screwed up my exam but everything worked out!"

Adachi's smile faded slightly at that, remembering something Bakugou had said.

 _"You need to learn how to control your Quirk! You got it!?"_

 _"Bakugou may be a total ass,"_ Adachi thought as they entered a nearby clothing store that made garments specifically for those who could expand their bodies, _"But he wasn't wrong..."_ As they stopped before the bathing suits he shot her a sideways glance, "You know, you should probably put more time into training Ashido... I can help if you want?"

Ashido blinked, pulling a pair of swim trunks from the rack, "I get plenty of training, if you wanna go on a date you'll need to pick something more fun than that!" She teased, holding up the bright pink and yellow trunks, "You should wear these! It'll be super funny!"

Adachi looked at the swimsuit, sweatdropping, "Uh... No thanks, but I'm serious! Come on, imagine how much better you'd be with some serious training? You're already in great physical condition and your technique is awesome! We've just gotta work on your judgement and quick thinking." He chuckled lightly.

Ashido pouted, setting the trunks back on the rack as he refused them, "Are you saying I'm stupid?"

Adachi's eyes widened, "Wha- No! No of course not!" He assured, waving his hands defensively, "I-I just want to see you succeed more in school so you don't have to worry about failing exams or missing out on school trips!" The boy fearing he'd put a foot firmly in his mouth.

Ashido narrowed her eyes, leaning in as she backed him into a wall with her hands on her hips, "Is that so?" She asked, noticing him start to sweat, "You think I can't handle myself? That I _need_ your help?"

"I-I didn't mean t-"

His words cut off as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips, his face flushing red as Ashido giggled, "Thanks for worrying, I appreciate it, but you focus on this for now." She ordered, poking his bony chest with a smile.

Adachi released a long sigh as he realized she was just messing with him. He chuckled lightly in response, "Right, of course..." Before his thoughts shifted, "So, you mentioned a date?"

Earning a laugh from his pink friend, "Lets focus on getting what we need while we're here first!"

 **. . .**

As Adachi enjoyed his afternoon at the mall, closer to home Shisui was making her way back to their residence with some groceries. It was a nice day so she decided not to take the car, and get some fresh air. Walking the streets a free woman again was still something she had to get used to, especially considering how often she had to watch her back before. But it was nice, not walking around with a target on her back anymore. And as she settled more into her new home life, she was enjoying the relaxation and freedom it provided compared to the "Fun" she had as a criminal...

"H-Help!" Shisui stopped in her tracks, eyes darting down a nearby alleyway, "Somebody! Please!"

The shrill voice sounded like it was in pain, maybe a mugging? Shisui's eyes darted around, not seeing any police or heroes nearby, "Dammit..."

She set down her groceries by the alleyway entrance and quickly rushed out of view of the public. Sure it was illegal to fight crime without a license but she seriously doubted whoever needed help would tell on her! At least she hoped not...

Not too far in, she spotted a figure curled up on the ground with sounds of sobbing leaving her. She was garbed in a shredded, pale white dress. Her body was thin and she looked absolutely ghostly. Something about her appearance was familiar, but she couldn't quite-

It suddenly hit her, and the former villain jumped back just in time to avoid Angel lunging for her as her wings spread out, "Aaawww! No fair!" She laughed in manic amusement, "I guess I need to work on my acting skills~"

"More like a better disguise," Shisui spat, keeping her guard up, "Your ugly face has already been all over the news..."

"No need to insult the little lady," A chill ran down her spine as the voice sounded from directly behind her. And she felt a large hand rest on her shoulder, "That's just ru-" Fenix was surprised by her reaction, as she grabbed him by the arm and threw him over her shoulder as hard as she could slamming him into the ground.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Shisui barked, horns forming as her eyes slit in anger.

"Easy now Jade!" Her head whipped around, watching as Zodiac seemed to morph out of the wall. A muscular short man beside her, his skin was dark brown and textured like dirt, he seemed to meld out of the wall right behind Zodiac, the structure returning to normal as he lost contact with it. "I didn't come here to pick a fight."

"Then why bring a bunch of thugs?" She demanded, as Fenix picked himself up and dusted off.

"For my protection of course!" Zodiac chuckled in amusement, placing a hand on her hip, "I may be crazy but you're one mean bitch... I see home life hasn't dulled your combat sense, or your reaction time."

"Tch, no it hasn't..." Shisui narrowed her eyes at the woman, "Now what do you want?" She was on edge, knowing all about this woman and her interaction with Adachi. Though, she had met Zodiac a few times during their stay at Tagua, they'd spoken a bit but she would hardly call them friends or even acquaintances. So she was either here to attempt to recruit her or... Maybe get some kind of revenge by killing her?

Either way, neither of those things were going to happen.

"Straight to business, how unfortunate," Zodiac smirked at her playfully, "And here I was hoping we could chat over drinks..."

"Yeah no thanks, I've got groceries to take home and dinner to cook." Shisui answered sharply, waving her off.

"You sure this is the one you're looking for?" The man that had morphed them into the wall asked, "Sounds like some bitchy housewife to m- Gah!" He gagged and coughed as Fenix picked him up by the throat in one swift motion.

"Zodiac is having a conversation," He warned in a deathly calm voice, "Do. Not. Interrupt."

"Easy now Fenix," Zodiac sighed and patted him on the back, "Krex is new, so he can have a pass... This time." She stated, as the larger man put him down and released his grip, "But to answer your question, yes, she is exactly who I'm looking for." Turning her attention back to Jade while Krex roughly coughed and rubbed his throat.

"If you came to ask me to join your gang, forget it." Shisui said simply, "I'm not interested in that life anymore."

"Jade, baby, you're breaking my heart!" Zodiac answered in an exaggerated manner, "But very well, out of respect for an old maniac I'll let it go... But if I were you, I'd get your son out of the hero business before things blow up." She added with a sly smirk.

Shisui quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"World's about to get a lot scarier," She answered with a shrug, "I'm not above killing brats, so let me be perfectly clear in saying that if he gets in my way again he's dead, and the same goes for the League of Villains, he won't survive an encounter with them at this point."

Shisui digested her words for a moment, before she released a short laugh and shook her head, "If you really think I could stop him from becoming a hero you're out of your mind... The boy's already decided what he's going to be, and not even you can stop him now."

Zodiac chuckled in response, "I suppose we'll have to see about that... Come, we've lingered here too long." She said to the others, nodding to Krex who placed a hand on the ground, asphalt and earth slowly melting away to give them a clear path downward into the sewers.

"However," Zodiac's eyes returned to Jade, "Since you were kind enough to give me a warning... Let me give you one as well," She offered with a toothy grin, "If you ever touch my son again, I will personally hunt down, and murder every last member of your little gang... We clear?"

The wicked villain couldn't help but smirk with amusement while her allies watched Jade warily, "Crystal~"

As they departed, Shisui released a deep breath and looked down at her hands. They were shaking terribly, her nerves on absolute end at the moment as the earth closed behind the villains during their escape. Shaky breathes escaped her lips, as she made her way back to the alleyway entrance to pick up her groceries.

"Agh!" She yelped as her phone went off, scaring the bajeezus out of her. Shisui's fear suddenly turning to anger over something so stupid, she yanked out her phone and answered it quickly, "WHAT?!"

"Sorry did I call at a bad time?" It was her husband.

Her anger instantly started fading away, "N-No I just... Sorry, you just startled me is all, what's up?"

"Something's happened, a villain appeared at the mall Adachi went to with his classmates."

What Zodiac had said was true, the world was about to get a lot darker as evil began to expand its reach. The young heroes at UA, and even the Pros just didn't realize it yet. But their rude awakening would come, maybe sooner than they realized...

 **. . .**

"Is the cognitive link still functional?"

"Yes sir, still no signs of trauma either, it's still processing the information transfer without issue."

"Good, continue with the next one, and send the failure to the incinerator with the rest."

It was barely alive, barely grasping cognitive functions as it floated in a vat. Nothing but slowly growing tissue, body being slowly perfected. But as it floated, catching brief flickers of the minds of those being put through testing, it started to wrap its mind around a single concept.

 _"...Failure..."_


	34. Weekend Activities, Training Camp Begins

**Welcome back everyone! And how great it is to be back! I'm so excited for the story developments coming in the next few chapters but first and foremost I'd like to say there is going to be a slight change in scheduling. Instead of the usual 3 chapters per weekend I'm going to try switching to a simple, 1 chapter per week schedule for two reasons.**

 **1\. To preserve my sanity, because 3 a week was taking its toll and was the main reason I went on break.**

 **2\. So that each chapter I do put out is of higher quality.**

 **So yeah, the story will be getting hopefully better chapters each friday/satuday at the latest.**

 **Anyways, enough talk, THE STORY MUST GO ON!**

* * *

Saturday morning, just two days before the camping trip, and Adachi was taking the time to relax as he thought about the trip ahead. His parents seemed eager to get him out of the house for whatever reason but he was happy to give them their privacy. Not like they got too much alone time with him around after all. Of course, he was still stuck here hanging around home for now.

He was just flipping through another page of a particularly interesting Manga about martial artists collecting magical orbs to grant wishes. Such a silly concept, but it was a fun read! Unfortunately, before he could get too much further, his phone started buzzing on his computer desk.

"A group message from Midoriya?" Adachi quirked an eyebrow as he opened his phone, "Endurance training... At the UA Pool today? Huh, that sounds kinda fun." Adachi smiled lightly, setting his manga aside as various classmates started responding, "Sure, I'll head on over, see you guys soon!" He sent back as he got up and started getting ready, _"This should be a nice way to eat up saturday."_

 **. . .  
**

"So you're telling me, that this had nothing to do with the girls being here?" Adachi asked, currently in hybrid form while his tail was wrapped firmly around Kaminari's neck, and he held Mineta by his face with one hand.

Midoriya laughed nervously, trying to prevent the potential murder as the girls played on the other side of the pool, "N-Now now Adachi please calm down I'm sure Mineta had no idea the girls would be here today!"

Adachi gave him a blank stare, "Really Midoriya?"

"Okay... So maybe they aren't completely innocent, but hey we're all here now so lets actually do some training and have some fun!" He urged, putting on a real smile.

Adachi slowly turned his predatory gaze back to Mineta, and Kaminari who was slowly turning blue from being choked, "Alright... Fine," Releasing his grip on Kaminari and dropping Mineta to the ground. Both of them gasping for air and coughing loudly, "But I've got my eye on both of you."

Midoriya sighed in relief, walking away from the duo of perverts with Adachi right behind him, "Yeah, sorry about that, I had no idea that's what they were planning when they showed up at my house." He explained.

Adachi waved him off, remaining in his hybrid form to... Well, thinking about it now he didn't really have a good reason. But he much preferred appearing as the larger, muscular lizard man than his usual scrawny self while the shirts were off, "You're a good person, and they perhaps took advantage of that... Either way, I won't let that little pervert get any peaks so long as I'm around." He grumbled, crossing his arms as he let his tail dip into the pool to test the waters while Iida was talking to the others about what kind of training they could do.

"You're awfully protective of the girls, I didn't realize you were such a gentleman." Midoriya noted, looking up at him.

"Yes well... Ashido is my gir- Good friend," He quickly corrected, looking away briefly, "I'm mostly just protecting her from that little weirdo, not that I doubt she could handle him herself."

"I can respect that, you're a good friend." Midoriya nodded, hesitating for a moment before adding on, "So... Have you thought more about what you learned after the Exam?"

Adachi seemed a bit surprised by the question, but knew not to answer in a way that would give details to prying ears, "Look, Midoriya, I meant what I said before... My view of you hasn't changed, in fact I probably respect you even more knowing what I do now." He assured, nodding his head to his classmate, "No matter what, I'll support you, for whatever that's worth I've got your back."

He seemed relieved to hear that, smiling up at him, "It means a lot, thank you."

"Of course," Adachi smirked, showing his spiky teeth, "Now lets see how good this tail works as a rudder shall we!?"

 **. . .**

"They're using the pool?" Ryou blinked as Recovery Girl finished up another round of treatment. The girl was sitting upright in bed with a pair of crutches nearby, still covered in quite a few bandages and condemned to UA's Medical Ward over the weekend to finish her recovery before the camping trip, "I should go say hi!"

"No you shouldn't," Recovery Girl wagged a finger at her, "They asked for permission to use the pool for Endurance Training, you'd just distract them plus you aren't fully healed and the last thing we need is you getting wrapped up in trouble."

Ryou sighed heavily in defeat, "Fiiiiine... Can I at least go for a walk?"

She nodded her head at that, "Go right ahead, just be careful you are far from fully healed."

"Awesome!" Ryou beamed, grabbing her crutches and clamoring off bed. She made her way to the door which Recovery Girl was kind enough to open for her, "Just a short walk for some fresh air! I'll be right back!" She assured, making her way out into the hall and on her way.

 _"So don't go to the pool, alright fine I'll just take a short walk outside! No big deal just some fresh air!"_ She was so excited, glad she could get up out and around on her own again.

She kept eagerly hopping along, making her way through the school with surprising speed despite her injured state. Ryou was just nearing the exit when she came to a stop outside some windows, looking at her reflection in them and eyeing over her injured form, "Hmm..." Quirking an eyebrow, she made a few silly faces of her own reflection, snickering to herself before her eyes landed on that tuft of hair atop her head.

 _"I usually keep it really short... But maybe I'll try to grow it out?"_ She thought, usually not paying much attention to her appearance but feeling like she wanted to make a change. Nodding her head, Ryou decided to herself, "Grow it out! Long hair it is!" She turned suddenly to continue on her way, stopping as she realized someone was watching her.

Not too far away, a girl in some kind of mechanic uniform was holding a box of tools. Despite being covered in grease she still looked quite pretty, with some soft facial features but a short and stout body. Her dirty blonde hair was bound back in a rough pony-tail likely meant to keep her hair out of the way and she had a pair of goggles on her head.

"Oh... Hi!" Ryou grinned, flashing a big smile at her _._

"O-Oh yes uh... Hello," She smiled in response, blushing lightly, "I-I uh... Sorry for just kind of staring, I recognized you from the Sports Festival and got a little star struck." She admitted with a nervous laugh as she approached tucking her toolbox under one arm, "I'm Mikoto Miki, from the Support Course." Offering her other hand for a hand shake.

"Rinsuke Ryou," She greeted, giving her a light handshake, "And you said star struck? Geez are hero course students really famous around here or something?"

"W-Well sometimes I guess, though it isn't always a good thing..." She replied nervously, "A-Anyways, whats up with all of the bandages and the crutches? Did you get hurt in training or something?"

Ryou looked down at herself and laughed it off, "Nah! I did this too myself, fighting All Might in the Practical Exam!"

Miki looked like she might fall over as she stumbled back, "F-Fighting All Might!? That's insane! Our Practical Exam was just presenting an invention to the teacher! Well I guess your test must have been pretty hard..."

"HA! Yeah it was awesome!" Ryou said with a big grin, "But we won! And that was amazing!"

"YOU BEAT ALL MIGHT!?" She exclaimed, dropping her toolbox and spilling various trinkets all over the floor, "Agh! Oh crap sorry!"

Ryou watched her scrambling and felt kinda bad, not really able to get down and help in her current state, "So why are you here over the weekend?" She asked curiously.

"A lot of Support Course students hang around school on weekends," Miki explained, repacking her things into the toolbox, "They let us use the workshop here to improve our skills and try out new inventions, its pretty bor-"

"That sounds so cool!" Ryou beamed, "Can I see the workshop? I bet you've built plenty of interesting things!"

"O-Oh I..." She stepped back nervously, looking down somewhat shy, "I-I guess if... You want to come see my work, I certainly wouldn't mind the company."

Ryou nodded her head eagerly, "Yeah that sounds fun!"

With her boundless enthusiasm, Ryou found herself a new friend. The two heading to the workshop together to waste away their saturday. Perhaps one of the few moments of levity they would have before their harsh Training began.

 **. . .**

 **School Trip**

 **First Day  
**

 **7:30 AM**

When Monday came around, and they arrived at school with everything they would need for the camping trip. Mr. Aizawa revealed that the location of their trip had been changed, to keep them hidden away from any villains. It wasn't a pleasant surprise, but hey there were still going camping... So that was nice?

After going over a brief summary of what they'd be doing, the class was heading out to the buses so they could depart.

"So did you get details on your extra classes?" Adachi asked, hands in his pockets as he spoke with Kirishima and Ashido.

"Yeah a little," Kirishima sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Mr. Aizawa said he'd explain more later but sounds like we'll be taking extra classes or something at camp."

"We're both gonna do better, you won't be in the lead for long Kaiji!" Ashido declared with a grin, "I'll be the best in our little trio again in no time!"

"WHAT'S THIS!?" A rather annoying voice cut in, the three turned spotting one of the boys from Class 1-B, who were also getting ready to depart with them, "You need Extra Lessons? That means you failed the exam! But I thought Class 1-A was supposed to be SOOoOOoOooOoo Superior to us in 1-B!"

Adachi sweatdropped, quirking an eyebrow as they looked towards him, _"That weirdo that kept hounding our class at the Sports Festival?"_ He suddenly smirked as he remembered their encounter, "Oh yeah, you were that cocky idiot I stole the headbands from, what was your name again?"

The question pierced Monoma's heart like an arrow, "Gah!? Wh-Who am I? I'm-" Before he could finish, Kendo delivered a chop to the back of his neck making him collapse.

"Sorry about that." She offered with a smile.

Adachi waved her off, as Kirishima and Ashido chuckled, "It's fine, he seems excitable."

"You don't know the half of it." Kendo shook her head.

"Adachi!"

The boy turned towards the voice when he noticed a familiar giant approaching, "Hey Ryou!" He greeted with a grin, noticing she seemed to be clear of injuries, "You're looking much better."

"Yeah I'm feeling better too!" Ryou laughed, "Recovery Girl made me stay all weekend and get healed up, it was kinda boring but I'm all fit for duty again!" She explained excitedly, "Just gotta be a little careful how hard I push myself and I should be fine."

"Good to hear," Ashido nodded, "Can't wait to see you at camp too! This trip is gonna be great!"

"Come now everyone its time to board the bus!" Iida called out, urging everyone as he took on his Class Rep attitude.

"Guess that's our que, see you guys at camp!" Adachi waved, turning with the others and heading for their own bus. Class 1-B would do the same shortly.

As the buses started rolling, it became utter chaos. Laughing and joking around with each other, while Adachi and his friends were right in the middle of it. Chatting away the drive, as the bus began making its way up the mountain.

Unaware that their days of goofing off were numbered...

 **. . .**

 **School Trip**

 **First Day  
**

 **9:30 AM**

The moment their bus stopped in the middle of nowhere, up one of the mountains and at the edge of a cliff. Adachi knew things were about to get interesting... He was not however, expecting two cat girls to show up.

"Your feline fantasies are here!" The red headed girl began, entering a strange dance-like routine with her blonde partner, "Say meow~"

"Perfectly cute and catlike girls~!" The blonde chimed in as well. The girls spinning together and entering a seemingly unfinished pose, "The Wild Wild Pussycats!"

Adachi's eyes drifted to the kid nearby who looked one hundred percent done with this, _"And they have a kid... For some reason... Who the heck are these girls!?"_

"Yes, a uh... More formal introduction," Aizawa cleared his throat a bit, looking to the class, "These ladies are members of a Professional Hero group that you'll be working with at the training camp."

"They're a four person team the specializes in mountain rescue!" Midoriya exclaimed eagerly, going full geek mode, "They were founded when we were kids like forever ago!"

"Uh oh..." Adachi muttered, feeling the murderous intent suddenly rising in the blonde one before she pounced.

Grabbing Midoriya by the face with her large paws, "Your math must be off because I'm 18 at heart!" She growled, claws extending.

Earning a muffled, "Understood." From the boy.

Adachi internally sighed, _"That is so sad."_

"This entire mountain area is pretty much our domain." The one with darker hair explained, walking towards the nearby railing, "Your destination will be there!" She pointed across the forest to more mountains in the distance, "At the base of that center mountain."

"Wait, if we're only halfway there then why did we stop?" Uraraka asked.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Satou muttered, looking to the others.

"Heh..." The Pussy Cat speaking smirked playfully, "It's about 9:30 right now... Which means, if you hurry, you should arrive around 12:00..."

"Uh... Guys," Sero swallowed dryly, "I think we should get back onto the bus!"

"Kittens who don't make it by then won't get to eat!"

"HURRY!" Kirishima cried, sprinting towards their transport, "We've gotta get back on the bus!"

Adachi braced himself, as he watched one of the Cats placed her hands in the dirt between them and their ride, "Oh no..."

The ground erupted into a hail of dirt and dust. The earth itself moving like water as it rushed towards them, uplifting the students and sending them flying over the edge towards the forest below. But not so careless that anyone would get hurt, they were aimed for the trees and the dirt itself didn't seem to let them go until they were close enough to land with nothing more than some scraps and bruises. Their cries echoed out throughout the forest as they descended, while the voice of the leading Pussy Cat called from above.

"Feel Free to use your Quirks in our Domain as you see fit! You have three hours to reach the facility! As you traverse through this... FOREST OF MAGICAL BEASTS!"

The class at the bottom was busy digging itself out, Adachi grumbling as he pulled himself from the dirty and proceeded to help up his friends one at a time. Kaminari was nearby, picking dirty out of his hair, "Forest of Magical Beasts? That sounds like something out of Dragon Quest..."

"How many times are we going to fall for Aizawa's lame tricks?" Jirou grumbled in annoyance.

"UA is notorious for doing things like this I suppose..." Midoriya replied, dusting himself off, picking a bit of dirt out of his mouth.

"He's right, there is no use complaining." Iida added, "Let's keep moving and reach our destination."

Mineta was meanwhile running off somewhere to go to the bathroom. Desperately looking for relief from his full bladder, when suddenly a thunderous roar sounded. Trees and dirt were turned aside, as all eyes turned towards a massive creature on four legs emerging from the forest. Roots and vines curled up and down its legs, a large maw armed with tusks loomed over the students, as they quickly roused themselves and prepared.

"AAAAGH!" Mineta cried out, "A MAGICAL BEAST!"

"H-Hold on!" Adachi blinked in surprise, as Koda took the lead, speaking up as he approached the beast with his arms up, "Please let us through! We mean you now harm just let us pass!"

But the beast didn't seem to response, and Adachi narrowed his eyes seeing large clumps of dirt falling from the creature as it raised a mighty arm, _"Koda's Quirk lets him command animals, if it doesn't have any effect this thing isn't really an animal!"_ Midoriya seemed to have the same idea, as did many others.

"Koda get back!" Ashido and Jirou pulled him away, as the class leaders charged.

The beast was torn asunder in seconds, nothing but dirt crumbling to the ground. Midoriya, and Iida unleashing their power to destroy the creature with brute force. While Bakugou blasted it, and Todoroki froze its connection to the ground. The students landed on their feet, nodding to one another.

"Well that seemed easy enough." Adachi muttered as he moved forward, "But I have a feeling that isn't the last one we'll be seeing."

"We aren't done," Bakugou grunted, noise sounding up ahead as another beast rose from the earth. This one appearing as a large dragon, four legs and massive wings as it took off into the sky, "We're just getting started!"

It was total bedlam, moving forward. The students of class 1-A Throwing their powers together to handle the dirt made beasts that the Pussy Cats had unleashed upon them. The tide of monsters was relentless, every step in the forest had to be fought over if they wanted any hope of reaching their objective on time.

Despite the chaos, Adachi was enjoying himself.

 **"HRAAAAAH!"** Holding the stone beast resembling a dinosaur, he spun around in his massive form and threw the beast clear into the sky, **"Got it! Come on keep moving!"**

 **"HAHAHAHA!"** Grabbing a large stone beast by the jaws and yanking hard breaking them off and crushing in its head causing the monster to collapse, **"Alright who's next!?"**

Because nowhere else in the world would he get the chance to have giant monster battles with dinosaurs, dragons and other beasts. It was like a dream come true, after watching so many of those cheesy old monster movies as a kid...

 **. . .**

 **8 Hours Later...**

Class 1-A was staggering out of the edges of the forest. Battered, bruised and exhausted. The forest was relentless, monsters continuously attacking, they were exhausted from the seemingly never ending combat. And the Pussy Cat's expected them to arrive here in Three Hours!?

"Fiiiiiinally~!" The voice of one of the Pussy Cats greeted them, students looking to her with rather less than enthused faces, "I suppose threatening to take away your lunch was pointless if you were going to take this long!"

"Just over three hours my ass..." Sero grumbled.

Kirishima groaned, holding his gurgling stomach, "I'm going to starve to death..."

"Well, that was by OUR standards," The red haired member added with a chuckle, "But you still did better than expected."

"To have figured out my Earth Beasts so quickly," The blonde smirked, licking her lips, "You guys are good... Especially~" Her eyes drifted to the leaders of their exhausted party, Midoriya, Iida, Bakugou and Todoroki, "You four."

She began gushing about seeing how they would grow as time went on, mentioning something about calling dibs on one once they were old enough. But Adachi stared down at his hand, fingers trembling a bit from overusing his Quirk, _"That wasn't even the actual training, just some kind of test... Dammit, this is gonna be rough."_

"Is she always this hyper Mandalay?" Aizawa asked the red haired Pussy Cat member while the blonde rambled on.

She shrugged in response, "She's gotten worse lately, being at the marrying age and all..."

"Oh uh, speaking of marrying age-" Midoriya began, before the blonde tried to cover his face with her large paw.

"Choose your next words carefully!"

Ignoring her, he continued, "Are either of you the mother of that kid there?" He asked, Adachi blinking in surprise as he only seemed to just now notice the boy standing off to the sides, "I saw him earlier and was just curious."

"Oh Kota? He's my nephew." Mandalay explained casually, "Come on and say hi!"

The boy had a sour look on his face, glaring daggers at Midoriya as he approached and extended a hand, "I'm Izuku Midoriya, I'm training to become a hero its nice to meet you!"

His attack came without warning, a balled fist striking Midoriya right between the legs and making him double over in an instant, "Midoriya!" Iida cried, rushing to his side as the boy walked off, "A low blow!? Have you no shame child!? A punch to the scrotum is UNFORGIVABLE!"

"I'm not gonna screw around and play with a bunch of losers trying to be lame ass heroes." He grumbled, wandering back into the building behind the Pussy Cats.

"What kinda kid uses language like that?" Kirishima asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Tch, brat thinks he's an adult because he's got an attitude." Bakugou joked with amusement.

Todoroki looked towards him, "Reminds me of someone I know..."

"Huh?! He's NOTHING LIKE ME!" Bakugou exploded, "And at least I don't keep all my emotions pent up inside like SOMEONE I know!"

"Relax I was just joking..."

"Alright enough chit chat," Aizawa finally cut in, "Get your luggage from the bus and take it inside to your rooms, there will be food prepared for you when you're finished," He explained casually, "After that, wash up in the baths and relax, unwind... The _real_ training starts tomorrow."

With that, he turned around and made his way into the large building as well with the Pussy Cats. The students breaking away and heading for the bus to get their things. Adachi carried his things to his own designated room before heading towards the cafeteria to eat up, knowing this would be a big part of restoring his body. He needed to eat, to consume mass amounts of food to fuel is his bodies regeneration as his muscles were torn to make them repair stronger than before!

 **. . .**

The food was amazing, and the students ate their fill to recover from the long day of fighting in the forest. It eased everyone's minds and got them out of their foul moods, being able to stuff their faces to their hearts content. But there was also something special about enjoying a meal while surrounded by friends, it lifted the spirits and reinforced the mind.

Once they were finished, everyone made their way to the baths, a double sided hot spring with a wall dividing boys and girls.

"Let me be perfectly clear Mineta," Adachi said sharply, arms crossed as he glared at the little purple bastard, "If you try to climb that wall, I will flay you alive." Only a half empty threat, as they stepped into the steaming waters of the spring.

"Hmph..." Mineta grumbled, wandering off on his own, "We'll see about that..."

Adachi rolled his eyes, sighing as he soaked into the waters trying to relax, _"Alright lizard boy no falling asleep on the hot rocks..."_ He ordered himself, letting his sore muscles soak in the rejuvenating waters while the food he'd eaten was quickly being turned into energy to heal his muscles via his regeneration, _"I wonder what the training will be like? We've all improved so much, through skills and experience I can't imagine how they plan to work on so many different abilities at once."_ His eyes drifting down to his bony hands, _"And my body hasn't even finished repairing itself yet... I wonder if that will be part of my training?"_

"HEY STOP!" Adachi's eyes shot open, darting to the other side of the spring as Iida shouted, "GET DOWN FROM THERE THIS INSTANT!"

 _"Mineta..."_ Adachi growled lowly, eyes darting to the boy as he rapidly climbed the wall, "You... Perverted... BASTARD!" He was in hybrid form in an instant, "HRAAAAAH!" Using his tail to spring forward he launched himself into the air racing towards Mineta intent on pasting the wall with the little purple pervert.

But just as Mineta was reaching the top, that boy from earlier appeared seemingly blocking the way, "Before you become a hero, try becoming a decent human first creep." Delivering a swift slap, knocking away Mineta's hands and causing him to crash back down.

Unfortunately for Adachi, this meant he had no target, and in his rash assault was now racing towards the wall himself, _"I did not think this through!"_ He realized too late.

"Aaagh!" Kota cried out, toppling over the edge, the impact shaking him from his post.

While the boy toppled over the edge and fell back into the boys side, Adachi banged his head over the edge and flipped head first into the waters below. Crashing down into the water and dazed from the impact, he barely even knew where he was while the large lizard man slowly rose from the water, "Ow my head..."

"ADACHI!" Multiple voices cried.

His eyes widened, the boy looking around only to realize he was surrounded by naked-

 _"Oh no."_

"GET OUT OF HERE!"

"OH MY GOD!"

"YOU PERVERT!"

Things were being thrown, girls were running for hiding while Adachi scrambled out of the water retreating with his tail between his legs, "I'm sorry I didn't mean too!" He tried to apologize, a bucket hitting him upside the head silencing anymore of his pleas as he made his way out the exit. He slid the door shut behind him, trying to preserve some privacy for the girls while rubbing his head.

"Ugh... That was..." Adachi blinked, looking up to see several of his classmates surrounding him now. All from the boys bath, including Mineta, Satou, Kirishima and Kaminari, "What?"

"So... What did you see?" Kaminari asked, attempting to be quiet.

"What did I-" Images of what he vaguely remembered seeing during the chaos crossed his mind, "GAAAH!" His head snapped back, blood erupting from his nose like a geyser as he collapsed, passing out in an instant from the blood rush.

Though he would never admit it... He certainly understood Mineta a little better now.

 **. . .  
**

 **School Trip  
**

 **Second Day  
**

 **5:30 AM**

Woken up early by alarms, the class was standing outside in the forest outside the facility. Everyone was rested, but it was clear most of them were not used to getting up this early. Mr. Aizawa was already waiting for them, a clipboard with papers in hand and a casual smirk on his face as if he enjoyed seeing the students totally exhausted and looking miserable.

"Today we're beginning the first rigorous round of reinforcement training," He began, "This trips objective is to strengthen everyone's Quirks as a whole, thereby allowing everyone to achieve their Provisional Hero License... This is all in preparation to stand against live action hostility and villains in a real world environment."

Adachi swallowed nervously, _"Quirk reinforcement, so maybe they have a way I can fix my body faster?"  
_

"Today we'll be focusing on Upgrading your Quirks," He added, putting on this wicked grin, "We'll be pushing you beyond your limits, so try not to kick the bucket on me alright?"

Several more figures were approaching, the Pussy Cats! But they had two more members with them this time around, another woman and a large muscular man also wearing their ridiculous cat outfits...

"Those of you with Quirks with obvious limits will be working to extend and break those limits," Aizawa explained, "Mutants, with more bodily powers will be working on strengthening their bodies or the specific organs they use."

"But after class 1-B joins us you'll be teaching upwards of 40 students at once," Iida noted, "How can that be accurately done with just five teachers?"

"Simple, I'll let the Cats explain." Aizawa answered, stepping aside.

"I'm Ragdoll!" The woman in yellow with bright green hair bounced forward, "With my Quirk, I can monitor and keep track of up to 100 people at a time!"

"Pixiebob," The blonde added, "My Flowstone Quirk will allow me to create proper terrain for you to train on!"

"Mandalay," The red head finished, "My Telepathy will let me keep in contact with each and every one of you to give advice and instructions!"

"And all the kicking, punching, basically the really violet stuff," The larger man chimed in, placing his hands on his hips, "Will be handled by me, Tiger!"

"Those of you with augmentation abilities will go with him." Aizawa explained.

"Prepare yourself children!" Tiger exclaimed suddenly, "We will train until those muscles tear! Until your body threatens to break! And I will MAKE YOU STRONGER!"

The Training Camp was finally kicking it into high gear, with a rough start for the students it was time to get down to business. And Adachi had a feeling soon everyone would be feeling the pain...


	35. Training Camp, Break Through The Limit

**: Glad to see I was missed X3 I missed you guys too!**

* * *

 **School Camping Trip  
**

 **Second Day  
**

 **6:00 AM**

"Alright Adachi you need to get your body back into shape, lucky for you you've already torn your muscles and your quirk to shreds." Mandalay explained, "With that mess during your internship I mean, so we're going to try using your bodies increased healing to force a full repair, once its done you should become much stronger!"

Adachi blinked in surprise, "You really think so?"

"We're going to find out!" She replied giving a less than helpful answer, "To exploit your healing power we'll have you transform into your giant form and consume massive amounts of food to fuel a much more powerful regeneration of your muscles!"

"Wait, would that really work?"

"We're gonna find out! Transform and eat until you puke! THEN EAT SOME MORE! If you change back to normal, TRANSFORM AGAIN!"

The boy was standing before a few rows of tables, Sato nearby lifting weights and devouring large amounts of sugar for his own Quirk. Adachi figured this had been thought out in some way so there was no point arguing this might be his best chance to get back into shape quickly. Struggling as he clenched his fists, gritting his teeth and rising to full height as his body transformed.

His muscles instantly started to hurt, and he knew it would be only moments before he turned back to normal, **"Ngh! C-Crap this hurts!"** Reaching a large hand up and raking his claws over the scaly skin of his neck, **"Why am I so itchy?"**

"Don't just sit there! EAT!"

Knowing his time was short, Adachi lunged for the table. Scooping up mass amounts of cooked meat and some clean veggies from their plates before stuffing them in his massive mouth. Snarling and growling like a wild beast as he consumed mouthfuls, loud crunches sounding around him as from the hard vegetables and bones inside some of the meat surrendering to the power of his jaws.

Strangely enough, his body's pain was slowly dulling. Never completely vanishing but reducing to a light throbbing throughout his muscles as he ate, stomach never seeming to fill as he devoured his food. Adachi had never actually eaten food in his full power form before, it was interesting how different it felt. He hardly had to apply any jaw pressure to crush his food into bits, anything that might have been tough was either broken down with ease or shredded completely.

But focusing on himself was boring, so he looked around to see what everyone else was up to!

At a nearby table, Satou was still eating cake while lifting weights. Yaoyorozu was right beside him filling up on carbs while constantly making more small items to push the limits of her creation Quirk. Mineta wasn't too far away, pulling those purple balls off his head like a mad man, scalp bleeding as he did so. While Kirishima and Ojirou were beating the hell out of one another to make Kirishima strengthen his hardening, while also making Ojirou's tail stronger!

"Hnngh!" His eyes returned to Yaomomo as she dry heaved a bit.

Earning a slight chuckle from the massive beast, **"A little too much for you?"** He asked, earning a startled jolt from her. Of course he understood why, his face was currently covered in whatever food scraps had the mercy of not making it into his mouth. That, and him being a monster sitting there casually eating was probably unusual.

"N-No I... I'm fine I-" She stopped herself for a moment, "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

A deep, rumbling chuckle left Adachi as he picked up a big metal trey and bit down on a slab of cooked beef sitting on it. A metal crunch sounded as he flinched, reaching up and pulling a sizeable chunk of the trey from his teeth, **"Oops..."**

Yaoyorozu stifled a small laugh, smiling faintly as she watched. Releasing a tense breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, _"I've never seen him up close when he's like this, and after seeing what he did to the Zodiac Gang on TV I kinda forgot he was... Well, still Adachi."_

 **. . .**

"Hey Midoriya!" The boy turned his head, groaning a bit as he saw Ryou approaching, the girl waving her hands around, "Looks like you're having fun!" Class 1-B had arrived a few minutes ago, and were quickly being put to work as well. Ryou herself getting sent straight to Tiger's Boot Camp for intense combat training...

Tiger chuckled in amusement, crossing his arms as Midoriya picked himself up off the ground, "Ah, now there's the crazy girl I've been waiting for! I've got some special training for you!" Though he spoke to her like a child, the man couldn't ignore the fact she was standing taller than him with her incredible height.

"I sure hope so!" Ryou beamed with a big smile, "I'm ready to feel the burn!"

"Good!" He smirked at her suddenly, "Now, I want you to power up, not beyond your limit like in the Practical Exam, we're going to further your limit steadily until you can reach that point without hurting yourself! If you become capable of that, well I dare say you might even hold a candle to All Might himself!"

Ryou blinked in surprise, "Whoa... YOU REALLY THINK SO!?" She asked excitedly.

"Nope!" He answered bluntly, putting on a sly grin beneath his silly outfit, "But maybe you can prove me wrong!"

"I know I can!" Ryou barked back with fire in her eyes, "Haaaah! FINAL RELEASE!"

Midoriya winced, closing his eyes as dust flew, the earth beneath Ryou's feet starting to crack and break away from the power leaving her body. The boy sliding back on his heels before steadying himself out, _"That power, she can expel so much at once! But she can't aim it like All Might and I can..."_

"What do you think you're doing!?"

"Agh!" Ryou yelped, as Tiger suddenly slugged her across the jaw knocking her to the ground with a powerful punch.

"Did you even consider the damage you can do to your surroundings? Or the amount of power you WASTE when releasing it like that?" He demanded sharply.

Ryou stood up slowly, rubbing her cheek, "Wasting power? I don't understand..."

"You have an immense well of energy inside of you," Tiger lectured, hands on his hips, "And your ability to access and use that power is tied not only to your physical well being but your stamina too! And have you ever considering how much is wasted with those bursts escaping your body?"

 _"Is that what those wind blasts are!?"_ Midoriya realized as he watched, remembering the Sports Festival, the random gusts kicking up from her body. _"Was that all power leaking out of her? I thought that was just created from the movements of her body!"_

"Ooooh, I think I get you..." Ryou answered, losing some of her childish glee as she looked at her hands, a few other members of class 1-B arriving to join them, "Hmm... So try to contain the power... Focus on keeping it all inside of me."

"That's right," Tiger nodded his head, readying into a fighting stance, "Now lets keep going! Fight me! I don't plan on holding back! You'd better learn that control or I'll beat you to a pulp!"

Ryou looked to Midoriya, the two nodding to one another, "Yes sir!"

 **. . .**

 **School Camping Trip  
**

 **Second Day  
**

 **4:00 PM**

Kirishima was supporting Adachi as they limped towards the area where food was supposed to be waiting for them. Adachi himself was totally exhausted, it had been so long since he'd really worked out this body. He hadn't realized until spending most of the day transformed just how exhausting it was to go for more than a few minutes at a time.

"You were told yesterday you'd be on your own from here on out!" Pixiebob cried excitedly as they approached the table. Adachi noticed it was laid out with raw foods and various cooking materials.

"So get off your lazy butts and make yourselves dinner heroes!" Ragdoll added with equal excitement, "Starting with CUUURRRRYYYYY~!"

"Yes ma'am..." The class collectively answered with what little energy they had left.

"Haha! Everyone's looking a little rough, but that's no excuse to make sloppy cat food got it!?" Ragdoll replied sharply.

"She's absolutely right," Iida grumbled, steeling his resolve for the task ahead, "In the case of emergencies providing sustenance to both the mind and body are essential parts of helping someone in need... ALRIGHT EVERYONE!" He suddenly exclaimed, startling those around him, "The Pros are right! Lets work hard and prepare the BEST CURRY IN THE WORLD!"

The classes spread out around the tables quickly, starting to spread out the ingredients and get them up and running. Yaoyorozu got to work cutting things up, while Ashido pulled Todoroki aside, "Hey! Help us get the fires going!" She ordered.

"Alright alright sure." He didn't resist her dragging him along, as they reached the fire pit. He ignited his left side and started getting the fires going.

"Yeah come on!" Ashido beamed, kneeling down and watching.

Adachi stood nearby, chuckling as he watched, "How do you have this much energy left?"

"Burn Burn Burn Burn Burn Burn!"

"Aaaand she's ignoring me..." Adachi sighed, shaking his head.

"Incinerate it~!"

"Calm down you Pyro." Todoroki rolled his eyes.

"Hey why don't you help us get some water hot to boil!" Uraraka said, tugging at Adachi's arm, "Come on you can breathe fire right?"

"Eh, not without transforming and its in pretty large amounts..." Adachi answered with a nervous laugh.

"Well we've got a big pot so FIRE IT UP!" Ashido chimed in, appearing behind him beaming with excitement.

"Not the point," Adachi chuckled nervously, "But fine I'll give it a shot..." After taking a few steps back, he clenched his muscles and started to grow once more. His body was pretty sore from his work earlier, holding the form for so long had taken a toll on his stamina but he was sure he could still hold it for a few minutes.

"Woo! Light it up!" Ashido commanded, grinning as she watched him **.**

 **"Alright but you'd all better step back..."** Adachi ordered, giving everyone a second to get clear before inhaling deeply, **"BRAAAH!"** A torrent of blue flames erupted from his mouth, splashing across the pot and the ground beneath it. Igniting whatever tinder they'd collected while also scorching the dirt. The pot itself going red hot for a second before Adachi ceased breathing his flames, _"Hmm... My body feels weirdly heavy... Probably just tired from the training."_

"Nice work!" Uraraka cheered.

"More Fire!" Ashido demanded, showing more of her inner pyromaniac.

Adachi released a breath as he returned to human form, "I think we've got enough fire thank you very much." He chuckled in amusement, "Lets finish getting this dinner ready!"

 **. . .**

 **Camping Trip**

 **Third Day**

 **5:30 AM**

Adachi had gone to bed the second night with every muscle in his body sore. Maintaining his full power form for so long had left him drained and what little muscle he had was throbbing in pain. But surprisingly enough when he awoke the next morning he was feeling fresh and ready for more! The boy preparing himself to tackle another day of training despite them all being forced out of bed at 5 AM.

But it wasn't just some kind of stamina, when he looked at himself in the mirror he could see his bodies muscle definition returning. It wasn't much, but he no longer looked starved and that was more than enough to put him in a good mood. Unfortunately for him, this development meant a new change up in his training method for today...

"You want me to what?!"

"The name of the game is survival! I'd send you to the boot camp with Tiger but I think big monsters are more your style!" Pixiebob slammed her hands onto the ground, the earth around him trembled as massive creatures started to rise. Three in total, one a massive ape like creature, the second a western style dragon with mighty wings and the forth appeared like a massive boar. Each construct stood well over ten feet tall and glared down at him with hollow eyes ready to attack, "Time to put your body to the limit and see if we can't force a change!"

Adachi was forced to jump back, quickly changing to hybrid state as the dragon lunged for him with its sharp jaws, "This is crazy! And what do you mean force a change?!"

"Law of survival kid you either evolve or you die!" Pixiebob shouted back, slashing a hand through the air as the boar and ape charged him in unison, "We worked on healing your body yesterday and today we push its limit! We'll be alternating between these training methods every day from now on until you improve! NOW FIGHT!"

As the fight escalated between them, Aizawa watched over the students from afar. His eyes watching Adachi closely, _"We know the best way to improve Quirks is push them to the limit, tear them apart like a muscle and repair them."_ He mused, as the boy grew larger and began tearing through the dirt constructs, _"Adachi doesn't seem to realize just how much his body can improve, he could be on a whole other level once he's finishes recovering... But it's happening slowly thanks to Yesterday's training, at this rate I'm sure he'll see massive improvement before this trip is over."_

 **"GRAAAAH!"** Adachi crushed the neck of the dragon with his own large jaws, rearing up and unleashing a bellowing roar to the skies, **"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**

"A good show but you aren't finished yet!" Pixiebob declared, as more stone beasts began to rise, "FIGHT!"

"Don't lose focus!" Aizawa called out, glancing over various students nearby, "Each of you can move faster, and fight harder! And no matter what, remember where you started from... Don't forget who you were before UA, don't ever forget why you're sweating, why your limits keep getting tested, that's what it means to improve!"

 **. . .**

"Gaah!" Ryou doubled over, Tiger retracting his fist from her stomach and letting her fall to the ground where she curled up in pain.

"You're still releasing too much!" He scolded harshly, "Remember what you did to that city in your Practical Exam? If you were to release that power in a real battle you'd kill someone!"

Ryou flinched at his wording, struggling to get back up, "I... I know!"

"You've got to get it under control, you've got incredible focus but for some reason this concept is slipping completely through your grasp." He huffed, crossing his arms, "Try again!"

Ryou took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she started to power up, "Final... Relea- Agh!" He punched her right across the jaw the moment the gust of wind began picking up.

"Take a break and get some water." Tiger ordered, "I'll think about this... Perhaps we should find a new training method." Before walking off to check on some of the others.

The short haired girl rubbed her sore cheek, sighing heavily as she got up slowly and dusted off, "Why can't I get this?" Looking down at her hands, eyes narrowing in frustration, _"I honed my focus so well, my power is so tightly contained in my body but somehow it still leaks out like that and I can't control it at all... This doesn't make any sense, why can't I-"_

"Hey," Her eyes darted up to Midoriya, the boy standing there offering her a water bottle, "He did say get water, and I don't think you want to disappoint again right?" He offered jokingly.

Ryou put back on her smile and nodded, "Right," Accepting the water graciously, "Thanks... So how's you're training?"

"Oh, its going."

"Can't be worse than mine."

"Don't beat yourself up too much, I think Tiger's doing that enough," Midoriya joked with a shrug, "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, you're way better at handling power than I am."

"Maybe..." She answered, thinking it over in her head briefly, "Hmm, I don't know why I can't get this, I have such good control over my Quirk as it is but I can't stop the energy from slipping out of my body."

"I had a theory on that actually," He added after downing another mouthful of water, "So... Your Quirk lets you augment your body by controlling this energy in your body right?"

Ryou nodded, sipping her own drink, "Mhmm."

"Have you tried controlling the energy once it's outside your body?"

"I-" Ryou stopped, blinking in surprise, "Actually... No I-"

"This isn't a camp for chatting this is a camp for TRAINING!" Tiger roared as he interrupted from behind, "NOW LETS GET BACK TO IT BOTH OF YOU!"

 **. . .**

The day continued with training as brutal as ever, working the students to their limits and trying to force them past it. But luckily for them it wasn't going to be all bad, as the teachers and Pros had something special planned...

Later that same evening, the two classes were working together to play out a different kind of training.

The Test of Courage.

One class would head into the forest, set tricks and traps to try and scare the opposing team who would break up into small teams and go in together. Their objective was to retrieve a tag from the center of this section of the forest path. The whole event was being supervised by the Pussy Cats, who sectioned off the groups and decided who would be going when based on lots they'd drawn. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be fun and games for everyone. Five students from class 1-A and a single student from class 1-B would be stuck taking a remedial lesson for not scoring well enough on the exams.

"So... Are you scared?" Yaoyorozu asked as she walked behind Adachi, the pair making their way through the darkness of the forest.

"Its just other students so... Not really," Adachi chuckled lightly in response. Letting his tongue flick out occasionally to pick up on their scents, though he wasn't familiar enough with them to really pick them out, "Are you?"

"Well, I'm exactly a big fan of the dark or walking around in it." She admitted, stopping as a feral growl sounded nearby, "That sounded like an animal!"

Adachi turned towards the source of the sound, watching as a large figure stumbled out through the bushes alongside his classmate. A strange scent starting to fill the air, "Its class members from 1-B," He noted, "Not a very scary surprise guys."

The larger one hit the ground suddenly, collapsing beneath his own weight in an instant. While the other one's eyes darted to them, "Th-There's some kind of gas!"

 **. . .**

"Its a shame they had to stay behind and miss out on the fun." Ryou sighed shaking her head as he stood by Midoriya and chatted idly about the class members that had been stuck in their remedial classes. Realistically Ryou should have been with her class, but the girl had opted out of the scaring people part, Class 1-A was at a numbers disadvantage after all.

"Yeah, but they'll be better students for it I'm sure." He smiled in response, "This is scary, but its a nice way to relax our muscles after those workouts today."

"I'll say," Ryou chuckled, stretching a bit, "Tiger is one rough teacher..." Thinking more about her training and still having trouble grasping this strange wall she'd found herself at with her power. It seemed like something so simple, but she just couldn't wrap her head around it no matter how hard she tried and that just frustrated her even more.

"Ryou? Are you alright?" Midoriya asked, noticing her slight change in disposition, "Its almost our turn."

"Little miss Kitty sure is an eyesore ain't she?" Ryou's eyes darted up towards the edge of the forest, two figures stepping out slowly. Followed by a body hitting the ground before them.

"P-Pixiebob!" Midoriya gasped.

Mandalay and Tiger stepped forward, getting between the students and the villains that seemed to appear out of nowhere, "How..." Mineta muttered, fear coloring his voice, "We took every precaution... W-We hid our location... So why? Why is the enemy here!?"

There were two of them, one taller wearing casual clothes, a baggy shirt and jeans. He had long hair, and big lips, but otherwise he looked completely normal. The other guy was shorter, wearing a vest like armor, his outfit overall was pretty similar to the Hero Killers. He was even equipped with several blades, but his skin was a sickly green and his hair was purple, gelled and pointed straight back. The big guy stood over Pixiebob, who laid still beneath his boot, a bit of blood running from a gash on her forehead.

"Greetings UA Students!" The smaller man spoke, his voice sharp and clear through the cold night air, "We are the League of Villains, Vanguard Action Squad."

"Wh-What is the league of villains doing here!?" Ojirou demanded, watching the two fearfully.

The two pro heroes took a step forward, but hesitated as the larger man pressed his foot down against her head, "Ah ah ah, careful now dears, it would be such a shame for me to slip and crush her head now wouldn't it?"

Tiger growled deeply, like a real animal, "Over my DEAD BODY!"

"Whoa whoa hold your horses big sis Mag!" The green man urged, holding out his arms, "And you too Tiger, chill out!" A feral grin spread across his strangely curved mouth, "The right of life and death will be decided by the word of Stain..."

"Stain!?" Iida repeated, "So you're all connected to the Hero Killer as well!?"

"That's exactly right, and you four eyes," The green villain pointed, eyes locking onto Iida, "You, you're one of the ones who ended Stain's reign in Hosu City, correct?" He asked, Iida nervously looked towards Midoriya as the villain continued, "I haven't formerly introduced myself, the names Spinner," One hand reached behind him, aiming for the massive weapon wrapped up on his back, "And I'M THE ONE WHO CARRIES ON STAIN'S DREAM!" The bindings around the weapon came undone revealing its form to them.

"Wh-What the hell..." Ryou muttered, eyes fixated on the massive multi-bladed weapon. It didn't even look like a real weapon, with dozens of knives, swords and blades strapped together via chains and belts, and yet this Spinner wielded it from the hilt like a common sword! "That thing must weigh a ton..."

"Tch, tell someone who gives a shit, Villain!" Tiger barked in response, "That girl beneath your boot, Pixiebob, she has been manic lately over her desires to get married and have a family, to fulfill that dream and desire it at such a tender age she has always put her best foot forward..." His eyes were ones that Ryou recognized, like a predator about to strike at its prey, "As her friend, seeing your crude attitude and blatant disregard for such a fine young woman in that predicament is absolutely reprehensible!" His voice was rising, and Ryou could feel the anger burning from where she stood, "I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

Spinner's eyes widened as he flashed a manic grin, "A true Hero cannot ask for such luxuries!"

"Tiger!" Mandalay finally spoke up, "I've given out the instructions, we're leaving the evacuation to Ragdoll, while we hold this position understand!"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Everyone else GO! Try to get to the camp and meet up with your teachers! Combat is to be avoided at all cost do you understand?" She ordered swiftly, eyes never leaving the villains, "Class Rep take the lead!"

"Of course, everyone lets move!"

Ryou's legs left her frozen for a moment, as Ojirou, Iida and Koda started running up the main road towards the facility, _"This is really happening... M-My classmates are all out there, running around in the dark with these... These-_

"Hey!" Midoriya clapped a hand on her shoulder, shaking her out of shock, "Go with Iida! Get to the others!"

Her eyes refocused on him, hearing his words, "What? Where are you going?"

"I've got to find someone, just GO!" Midoriya commanded, before racing off into the woods.

Ryou felt a sensation rising in her chest, watching as Izuku disappeared through the trees, _"Midoriya... You can't... I won't just sit here!"_

"Ryou WAIT!" Iida cried out, his words doing nothing to slow the girl down as he raced into the forest to follow Midoriya.

 _"You're going to be the next Symbol of Peace!"_ Ryou thought as she ran, _"I have to keep you safe... I'll protect you, and I'll protect all my friends too! I'm going to protect everyone!"_


	36. Judgement, Cold Steel and Roaring Fists

**Vedhazii: Oh yeah things are about to heat up!**

* * *

Ryou was racing through the woods, trying to keep up with Midoriya but doing so without activating her powers was tough. All the while her mind was racing, knowing there were likely other villains in the forest. Her friends were out there, in the dark and in danger! They were nearing some kind of mountain, when she suddenly heard a scream that made her slide to a halt.

Her eyes darting in the direction, "That voice..." She recognized it instantly, her fingers tightening into fists as her eyes darted back to Midoriya as he raced up the cliffside, _"Tokage... She was with Shoda, if they're in trouble."_ Her eyes were darting between the cliffside and forest, knowing she had to make a decision. Help Midoriya, the apprentice of the man who saved her life, or help her friends.

"Dammit!" She cried, running into the forest in the direction of the cries, _"I'm sorry All Might! But Midoriya is gonna have to handle himself!"_ Racing towards the source, it wasn't long before she came to a small clearing and spotted her friends, "Shoda! Tokage!" She called out to them, both laying up against a tree, Shoda's limp, battered body resting against Tokage as if he'd been taken down guarding her.

"Ryou!" The green haired girl called out to her, relief showing clear on her face, "Watch out! There's a villain nearby! She just slipped away!"

The taller girl went on guard instantly, moving towards them but keeping her eyes on their surroundings, "What happened? Is Nirengeki alright?"

"Some crazy woman came out of nowhere, just as we escaped that weird gas that's spreading around," Tokage explained, moving herself out from under her classmate and carefully resting his head down, "She was spouting some stuff about who we were... Said we weren't on their kill list, but still attacked us." Her eyes resting on her fallen classmate, "She took Shoda down in seconds, it was..."

Ryou's eyes flicked to his battered body briefly, seeing he was covered in various bruises. Blood ran from his nose and his left eye was swollen shut, like he'd been beaten down by a blunt object, _"He's one of our classes best in hand to hand combat, dammit..."_ She realized, before nodding her head, "Can you walk? We need to get him out of here, and get back to the camp."

"Rinsuke Ryou." The girls head whipped around, watching as a pale woman dressed in long thin black dress stepped out of the darkness surrounding them and into starlight. She had not a single hair on her head, eyes covered by wrapping, and her body was muscular, chiseled to perfection. Her hands were guarded by steel bracers that ended with studded knuckles, while a broadsword was strapped to her belt. "I know the darkness in your past... Death, you are a killer, and yet you dare to carry the title of hero?" She asked grimly, reaching for her sword and slowly pulling it from the hilt, "Unlike those two, who still carry a certain purity in their hearts... They will not be judged now, you however... Are a murderer."

Ryou's body stiffened at the accusation, _"How could she know about-"_ Her eyes widened, as the woman crossed the distance between them in a split second, her blade drawn and positioned to cut the girl in half at the waist.

"You are hereby judged." She declared, "Find peace in the next life."

 _"MOVE!"_ She jumped back just in time, the blade slashing across and cutting a hole in her shirt at the ribs. Ryou landed back on her heels and lunged forward, "HAAAAH!" Throwing a punch as hard as she could at base level, but the villain stepped forward into it spinning out of the way along her arm with incredible speed and grace.

"Resistance is pointless." Bringing her blade up for an upward slash poised to cut off Ryou's arm at the elbow.

Thinking fast, Ryou rolled forward with her own momentum of her strike clearing just enough distance to avoid the blade. But she hissed in pain, her skin grazed by its edge and her sleeve cut. She leapt out of the way getting clear of the enemy for a moment and checking her wound, _"Not too deep just a small cut, good... But that sword is still a problem."_ She narrowed her eyes at the woman, holding her ground, "Tokage! Get Shoda out of here and run back to camp, I'll handle this one!"

Her friend stared at her like she was crazy, "I can't just leave you here!"

"She already said she wasn't going to kill you," Ryou argued, taking a far more serious tone than she normally did around her classmates, "Right now you two are just something she could use against me! SO LEAVE!" She commanded, raising her voice and making Tokage flinch, "I'm the strongest member of Class 1-B, its MY job to protect you all!"

 _"R-Ryou..."_ Tokage's eyes widened slightly, _"I've never seen you act like this before..."_ She realized this wasn't the time to argue or be stunned, "Alright fine, but don't you dare get killed Ryou!" Forcing up Shoda along with her, she began moving away into the woods towards camp.

Meanwhile the villain made no move to stop them, "Getting them out of danger is smart... Your life will pay for your arrogance however..."

Ryou smirked at her with brimming confidence as her body began to light up, "Yeah right, I just needed to make sure you didn't chicken out and run for a hostage once you realized how outmatched you are! SECOND RELEASE!" The ground behind her cracked as she lunged forward throwing another super power strike.

The Villain raised her blade sideways, blocking the attack with its broad end as Ryou's knuckles met her steel. The villain sliding back slowly on her heels from the force, "Hnngh! So you're as strong as they say, good." Her arms shaking as she tried to hold her back.

"Gah!" Ryou gasped, as she suddenly brought up one of her iron clad fists uppercutting her hard. The girl stumbled back before returning to her senses, just in time to jump and dodge another slash from the blade, "You're too stubborn! What the hell do you guys want with us anyways!?" Flipping forward she brought down a thunderous axe kick, but the villain sidestepped causing it to strike the ground and tear up the grass and dirt.

"The destruction of your pitiful hero society!" She declared with intensity, dashing at her with a stabbing strike trying to bury her blade in Ryou's chest.

"Right yeah of course," Ryou grit her teeth as the blade slipped just past her side with a dodge. Grazing her skin and cutting away at her shirt more while drawing a tiny bit of blood, "But what about something a little less generic?" Once she'd regained her footing she spun around throwing a super charged kicking aiming for her head.

But the villain dodged by leaning back, her timing making it appear as though she'd known the attack was coming. Before she backstepped to gain some distance and reassess her target silently.

Ryou clenched her fists tightly in frustration, _"She's so fast, is she predicting my attacks or just dodging them?"_ She wondered, trying to think of a plan here, knowing that a reckless attack could mean death so long as she was carrying that sword, "How do you know about me?" She demanded, "Did the League of Villains tell you about all of us!?"

"So you deny nothing I have said, good." Judgement answered calmly, "Yes, the League knows much about you, but the way you carry yourself is so fake I could have smelled your deception from a mile away..." Flicking her sword around effortlessly, "I am the justice you've been avoiding, I am Judgement, I have taken up Stain's Ideals, to create a better hero society."

"By working for the League of Villains!?" Ryou exclaimed, eyes wide, "They're murderers! Monsters!"

"A necessary evil," Judgement stated, "One I must allow to live until this society has changed, but make no mistake as soon they are useless to me I shall remove them as well."

"You're a lunatic," Ryou spat, raising her fists, "I won't let you take any lives tonight! Not you or anyone else has the right to decide between life and death!"

"Then why did you kill them?" Ryou's bravado faltered for a split second as she spoke, "Who were they? That you decided to take their lives?"

"Hnngh!" Her eyes widened and Ryou lost focus for a split second, "Shut up!"

"A murder is still a murder," The young hero had let her guard down, and now Judgement was standing right in front of her preparing an upward slash, "And your punishment is death, life for life."

"THIRD RELEASE!" Ryou cried in reaction, a gust of wind flowing from her body as the energy leaked out and her skin lit up. It was just enough to throw off the villains attack and give her a chance to jump away, _"Dammit! I can't let her distract me, FOCUS RYOU!"_ She mentally kicked herself, trying to keep her head on straight, _"If you don't you're DEAD!"_

"Yes, they said you were powerful," Judgement nodded her head after steadying herself, "Go ahead, unleash everything you've got, you will never touch me."

"We'll see about that!" Ryou declared, gritting her teeth as she prepared to unleash more power, "HAAAAH! FINAL RELEASE!" The burst of air was so intense, the trees were shaking and the earth beneath her feet trembled, grass torn up at the roots and branches blown from their trunks, "See if you can dodge THIS!" In the blink of an eye Ryou reached her target, in one step her fist was cocked back and ready to deliver a final, crushing blow to her enemy.

But she hit nothing but air.

"GAH!" Ryou gasped in pain, as a steel gauntlet uppercut her right in the jaw. Sending her flying back, where she landed hard with blood running from her bottom lip, "I-Impossible... Nobody should be that fast..."

"It is not a matter of speed," The blind villain said simply as she approached, "My Focused Hearing Quirk allows me to read your movements before you even make them, every action creates a physical response in the body and I can pick up on those as you begin them, even slightest twitch of a muscle is enough to give away your attack." She was sheathing her sword, tightening her steel bracers, _"With power like that behind her blows I cannot afford to make a mistake, so for now I'll rely on the gauntlets, once's she's disabled I'll deliver the killing blow."_

Ryou pulled herself up slowly and wiped her mouth, the punch hurt but it wasn't anything super powerful. The steel gauntlets the problem, even her durable body was feeling the pain from them, "Is that right?" She grunted, trying to think of a way around the apparent wall in front of her. "Why don't we put that to the test?!" Dashing forward, the earth behind her erupting from the force, she attempted another powerful punch. Judgement sidestepped her, spinning around and delivering a vicious backhand to her nose nearly breaking it before she grabbed Ryou by the hair, "Aagh!" She girl cried in pain, Judgement turning and driving her face first into the ground.

"Your power is incredible, but your movements are stiff, your muscles tight," Judgement released a tired sigh, "Such a shame, your power could have been a beautiful cleansing light in this terrible world..."

Ryou started to raise her head, before Judgement planted a foot on the back of it and forced her down while standing back up, "Gnngh! I-I won't let you-"

"Look at what you cause," She said, Ryou's eyes following her hands as they pointed to the forest around them, "Trees nearly uprooted, the earth torn asunder, you are nothing but destruction in human form, you will cause others nothing but pain with this power, you are no hero."

"SHUT UP!" Ryou roared, unleashing another burst of force from her body that made Judgement stumble back. Ryou was on her feet in an instant, charging her with reckless abandon and throwing rapid fire punches.

"Absolutely pathetic." She answered the attack by gracefully weaving in and out of her blows not taking a single hit before delivering a vicious punch to Ryou's ribs knocking the wind out of her and causing the heroes assault to falter. She followed up by slamming both of her studded knuckles together on the sides of Ryou's head breaking the skin of her temples and causing more blood to flow as she cried out in pain, "Now you rely on anger to keep going, thinking it will make you stronger."

Ryou didn't back down, ignoring her injuries and continuing her furious attack. Desperately trying to land a single hit as Judgement toyed with her, _"I have to take her down! I have to beat her!"_ She told herself, starting to panic as none of her attacks seemed to hit home.

"Your tenacity is to be admired," Stepping through one of her attacks, appearing behind Ryou and driving a boot to the back of her knee making Ryou collapsing forward, "But you lack the skill to beat me." Before delivering a crushing double handed strike to the back of her head, knocking Ryou face first to the ground, "Your movements so stiff, body wound so tight."

 _"I can't... I can't beat her, she's too fast."_ She was beginning to realize, rolling over and gasping for breath. Her rapid attacks leaving her body tired as her power began to fade away, _"I-I'm going to die... She's going to kill me!"_ Tears began to well up in her eyes and spill over down the sides of her face.

"Crying now?" Judgement questioned, drawing her sword as she approached, "I suppose you are still a child, I pity you for the burden placed upon your shoulders but I shall remove that pain today, as well as your blight from this world." Raising the blade above her head.

 _"Come on! THINK!"_ Ryou mentally kicked herself, eyes clenched shut, _"There has to be something! Something I'm not thinking of! An opening! Anything!? When her stupid hearing doesn't-"_ Her eyes widened in realization, _"Hearing! THAT'S IT!"_ She only had a split second, "STOP!"

The blade was poised to pierce directly into her heart, "Goodbye." Judgement drove the sword downward, and Ryou's eyes opened wide.

"HnnghAAAAAAAGH!" Ryou cried out in pain, terrible pain as the blade pierced her body, blood soaking her shredded shirt and staining the ground beneath her as it went all the way through. It hurt, it hurt so much and her screaming echoed out into the forest.

But Ryou was still alive, and she had her opening.

"Nngh!?" Judgement gasped, realizing that her blade had been off mark, not striking the heart but piercing through Ryou's ribs! The young Hero suddenly reached up and grabbed her by the arm that held the blade, "Impossible!?" She exclaimed fearfully, _"Did she move herself at the last second!? No! I should have noticed!"_

"Finally got you," Ryou hissed through clenched teeth as blood poured from her wound, "You slippery lunatic... I just turned your stupid hearing Quirk against you!" She explained as her grip tightened. Some of the bones in Judgements arm crackling and giving way beneath her force, "Those senses don't matter if I'm screaming so loud you can't hear my muscle movements! I've got you pegged now JUDGEMENT!" Ryou forced herself up, refusing to release her grip as she stood on her feet.

"Gaaah!" Judgement cried in pain as her arm was shattered by Ryou's tightening grip, "Ngh! L-Let me go!" She demanded, throwing a punch with her, "Agh!" She yelped as Ryou's other hand caught her fist, squeezing hard and starting to crush her hand and the iron gauntlet around it, "AAAGH!"

"You may be fast but you've got no super power behind your attacks!" Ryou declared, power flaring up around her and focusing into her free hand after releasing Judgements broken one, "ALL I NEED IS ONE SHOT!"

Judgement could feel the power coursing through Ryou's body and it sent a chill down her spine. Her resistance began to falter, "Th-This light..."

"MEGATON PUNCH!"

A sound like thunder erupted around them, the earth trembling as Judgement was sent smashing through the trees. The a few falling to the ground as Judgement came sliding to a stop on the other side completely broken on the ground _._ She tried to move, but with so many broken bones she could already feel herself slipping away in the aftermath. Her head tilting in Ryou's direction as the girl approached, "Y-You... You..."

Ryou was panting heavily, labored breathing thanks to the sword in her gut, "I didn't try to become a Hero because I think I'm above what I did," She said calmly, wincing in pain as she breathed, "I'm doing it because I never want what I did to happen to others... Maybe I should be punished for killing them, even if it was an accident but..." She grit her teeth in pain, looking down at her again, "Screw that, you heard Tokage, I'm not allowed to die here."

As Ryou began to limp away, Judgement's head tilted back as she digested her words, _"Her light is... Beautiful."_

As she limped off, Ryou looked down panting for breath and wincing as she gripped the handle of Judgements sword. It stung, and breathing hurt, but she knew if it was pulled out she might just bleed to death, "I-I've gotta... Get back to camp," She panted heavily, limping back towards the path Tokage had taken, "I'm going... To make it back..." She muttered, images of her friends faces flashing in her mind, _"I'm going to see you all again."_

Her first real encounter with a villain had come to an end, and though she was scared and battered she was not at all discouraged. Knowing she could protect people she cared about from lunatics like that only emboldened her. So long as she could keep them safe, she was happy.

 **. . .**

"Dammit, I forgot to tell Midoriya to come right back after delivering the message!" Aizawa realized, hurrying to the doors of the main building as he carried Kota. The boy was still crying, and judging by the injuries Midoriya had it was obvious he'd been attacked by some villain. The kid was saying all kinds of things, about apologizing to Midoriya, hoping for his safety. He'd certainly had a big change in attitude since the day before.

"Gnnyaah!" A familiar voice rang out, making Aizawa stop and turn around sharply, "E-Eraser Head!"

The Teachers eyes widened, _"Oh my god..."_ Without even thinking, he set down Kota and started running towards Ryou. The girl was covered in blood, with a sword sticking out of her ribs, "Hang on! You're going to be okay," He assured, pulling one arm over his shoulders to support her, "Come on get inside, we need to do something about that wound!"

Ryou's breaths were long, raspy and weak, "R-Right... H-Has anyone else made it?" She asked, eyes dim as she limped towards the building, Aizawa doing all he could to support her.

 _"This is bad, this is really bad..."_ He thought, ignoring her question as he lead her inside and towards the classroom where Vlad and the others were located, "Vlad! Open up I need help!" He called out while nearing the door.

"Aizawa, what's-" His words hitched as the door opened and he spotted Ryou, "Shit, Ryou!" He exclaimed, moving to her side and carefully picking her up being extra careful with the blade while she hissed in pain.

"RYOU!" Tokage gasped, turning away from the still unconscious Shoda laying on a desk.

"Oh no!" Ashido gasped out upon seeing her, the students all turning eyes towards them as the injured were brought in.

"Holy crap what happened!?" Sero exclaimed.

"Everyone stay back, give them some space!" Iida ordered, eyes drifting to the blood trail Ryou had left.

"Organize the desks to make table," Aizawa ordered the students, "NOW!" Sending them into a scramble of moving chairs out of the way and creating a space for them to lay, "Shirts, extra clothing, anything we can use to bandage a wound, Sero we'll need your tape to hold it tight."

"Right!" He nodded with a determined look, ready to help while Kirishima and Ojirou began tearing apart their shirts to form strips of cloth for use as bandages.

While Monoma watched from a distance, eyes fixated on Ryou, _"No... No way, Ryou is... She's the strongest member of our class, h-how could this happen to her!?"_

Kota stepped in through the doors as well, moving out of the way and doing his best not to look at all the blood. Tokage stood closeby as well but kept herself out of the way, "Ryou... I'm so sorry," She muttered, a few tears welling up, "I should have stayed to help..."

"H-Hey..." The exhausted girl replied slowly, forcing herself to look up at her classmate while flashing the biggest grin she could muster, "This... This is nothing, I won... Y-You told me not to die, I-I promise I won't..."

Vlad laid Ryou down on her side, the girls breathing quickening and she felt sick, "Alright, get ready," Aizawa ordered, grabbing a piece of cloth and balling it up before handing it to Ryou, "Here, bite down on this." He offered, knowing this was gonna hurt, "Sero are those improvised bandages ready?"

"Yeah we've got them ready to go," He nodded, handing them over, "What are you gonna do?"

"We have to remove the blade," Aizawa explained, "I'm going to pull it out, and as soon as I do you need to seal the exit and entry wounds," He ordered, grabbing the blade by its handle, "Get ready," He nodded to them, before his eyes drifted down to Ryou, "I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt."

Her eyes widened, as he pulled the sword out in one fluid motion, most of the students looking away as the blood began to flow. Sharp, burning pain ran through Ryou's body, "Gnnngh!" She bit down hard on the cloth in her mouth, as Kirishima pressed the makeshift bandage against the wound on her ribs and Sero did the same with the exit wound on her back. The pain was too much to bare, and she opened her mouth letting the cloth fall free, "GAAAAAAAAH!" Her hand gripped the edge of the desk, her super strength causing it to crack and break away between her fingers before, "AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

But the pain was more than she could handle, and as more blood ran against the bandages she collapsed. Her blood loss and exhaustion catching up with her as she passed out. Aizawa set the bloody weapon aside and released a long, heavy sigh, "Make sure those are bound tight or she'll bleed out." He ordered the students, before heading back towards the door, "I'm going back outside, stay here and keep them safe." He added, before heading out.

Vlad nodded, looking down at his injured students grimly, "Bastard villains... To attack children."

Tokage watched Ryou's still body with regret in her eyes, "I should have been there... I shouldn't have run away."

Vlad sighed heavily, "No, you both should have run away... But Ryou will be okay, we just need to get her to a hospital, you're both safe now." His eyes drifting back to her, _"This was her first real experience with a villain, I'm glad she's alive but these wounds..."_

As he looked upon her badly injured body, all Vlad could do was hope that the rest of his students would be okay. If villains of this caliber were really running around out in the darkness.

And who knew what kind of monsters they might have brought along with them...


	37. The Monster, Evolve or Die Adachi!

**I'm glad everyone is enjoying the return so far X3**

* * *

"Alright, I think we're clear of the gas," Adachi said, coming a stop in the clearing alongside Yaoyorozu and Awase from Class 1-B, "I hope Tetsutetsu can get those masks to the others..."

Yaoyorozu was about to reply when a thunderous explosion sounded somewhere in the distance. Like rocks shattering in the night, a rumble through the earth, "That sound... Must be fighting." She nodded, removing her gas mask and breathing the clear air.

"But we haven't seen any of the enemy yet, not even the one who created the gas," Adachi noted, removing his as well, "We need to find a way back to the main building after we deliver the rest of these masks..."

Awase nodded, "I know Tetsutetsu and Kendo will take care of everyone... And Ryou can handle herself just fine if she needs to, she'll keep anyone she's with safe so lets focus on getting more masks to the rest of the students," He said simply, looking around to try and figure the right direction, "We've got to be careful, Mandalay said we're to avoid combat at all costs."

Yaoyorozu nodded, following along behind him, "That's right, we need to try and avoid contact with the enemy, I'll make us any tools we might need as we go."

"There were more of us this way," Awase replied, pointing south, "If we can get back to the trail we'll be safer... But we should try to be as quiet as possible in the dark."

"Right." Adachi nodded, following along as well, _"Mr. Aizawa and Blood King were at the main building, so Kirishima and Ashido should be safe but... I hope everyone else is-"  
_ He stumbled suddenly, heart rate increasing rapidly while pain shot through his muscles.

"Adachi? Are you alright?" Yaoyorozu asked moving to his side, "What's wrong?"

The pain started ebbing away just as quickly as it had appeared, the boy stood up again panting slowly, "Must just be some muscle pain from our training, come on we should keep moving."

"Grrnn... Hrrrnh?" The deep, guttural groans were followed by rustling in the nearby bushes. All three students stopping in their tracks, eyes darting to the source as heavy footsteps moved through the darkness.

"Wh-What the hell is..." Awase muttered, hesitating as he watched the tall form of a sickly green skinned Noumu step into the clearing.

"Noumu!" Adachi exclaimed, perhaps louder than he should have as he remembered his last encounter with one of these monsters.

Instantly the creatures head turned to face them, lacking any form of eyes and its mouth was gagged by some kind of bite guard muzzle device that connected to some protective casing around its weird exposed brain. But aside from a black pair of pants it looked no different than the other Noumu's that had been seen on the news. It started lumbering towards them, reaching out with its hands, "Gmm... Mrrrggh!"

"MOVE!" Adachi ordered, backstepping quickly.

Yaoyorozu followed his movement, taking a step back before she realized Awase was frozen in place, _"He's never dealt with a situation like this before! If he doesn't move that thing might-"_ She moved without thinking, springing forward and forming a shield out of her arm, "AWASE MOVE!"

Grabbing him by the back of the shirt she pulled as hard as she could. Making the boy fall back on the ground, as she advanced and raised up her shield. The Noumu's swinging arms suddenly started to change, forming into a great hammer head for his left hand and a saw blade for his right! And it swung the hammer with incredible force, striking Yaoyozu's shield head on.

"Aaaagh!" Her scream came after the sickening crunch of bones breaking rang through the night air. The blow carrying enough force to send her flying back several feet where she hit the ground hard.

Awase himself was scrambling back across the ground, finally shaken into movement, "Crap crap crap! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean t-"

"It's okay!" Adachi answered, forming scales along his body and preparing to defend, "Don't worry about that now! Just get Yaoyorozu and let's move! She's going to need help, I'll cover you while we retreat towards camp!" His body was on fire, not in pain but literally burning up! For whatever reason the scales on his skin felt hot and itchy, while his head was throbbing, _"What the hell is going on!?"_ He demanded, trying to remain focused on the task at hand.

Awase nodded his head, getting to his feet, "R-Right!" And moving to the injured girls side to give her support.

"Grrngh? Hnnngh! GRRRRH!" The Noumu howled suddenly, six more arms erupting from its back, each one armed with either a drill, hammer or saw blade in place of hands as the beast charged towards them once again.

"What the hell kind of villain is this thing!?" Awase demanded, supporting Yaoyorozu as they limped away.

Adachi transformed to hybrid state while ignoring the magnification of his apparent illness, meeting the creature head on while ducking beneath one of its saw blade swings, "The big and stupid kind!" Swinging low, with both leg and tail, he swept the mutant off its feet knocking off balance and forcing it to fall before he jumped back, "Now lets move!" Running alongside them as they raced deeper into the forest, "With a Noumu here there's really no doubt about it, the League of Villains is here! But what the hell do they want!? Are they after All Might again? He isn't even here!"

"I don't know but we need to get away from this thing or it'll kill us..." Yaoyorozu replied, wincing in pain as they moved. Using her quirk to form a splint and tying it tight with bandages as they went.

The sound of crashing trees echoing behind them. The Noumu smashing through them with ease or cutting them down with its saws, "Hrrnngh!"

"That thing is fast!" Awase cried out, looking back only briefly.

"I've got it!" Adachi assured, jumping up and grabbing a branch with his tail. He swung around to gain momentum before releasing himself in the direction of the charging beast. Broadsiding it with an elbow to the side of its face, but the beast only stumbled in response before turning on him. Its two main arms reverting to normal hands and reaching out to grab him.

"Get out of there!" Yaoyorozu cried as she watched the beasts arm lash out at him. Following her command, Adachi planted his feet and prepared to jump away, only for the pain to intensify in his muscles making any force he tried to apply vanish leaving him completely open!

"GAAAAAH!" Adachi howled in pain, as one of the drills bit deep into his shoulder while a sawblade sliced into his arm. The boy only just barely able to push himself away by springing off his tail. But even so, before he could gain much distance a terrible pain ripped through his back and tail. Two more blades hitting their marks, one cutting across his lower back while the other sliced his tail clean off at the halfway point.

"Adachi!" Awase cried out, watching him tumble across the ground to a stop in a bloody heap, "Holy crap this is bad! That thing is insane!"

"Y-You two..." Yaoyorozu winced, gripping her broken arm, "You've gotta leave me behind, I-I'm just dead weight right now with this limp... If you stay here we'll all-"

"Don't say that!" Awase cut her off sharply, "Nobody is leaving anyone behind! We're all getting out of here together!" His eyes darting to Adachi as he gripped his injured arm while struggling to rise, bloody seeping from a deep cut just above the elbow, "Can't you turn into a giant monster or something!? Just get big and crush this guy!"

"Y-Yeah I can but..." Adachi winced in pain, the Noumu seemingly preoccupied with attacking his tail that was still wriggling on the ground, "Somethings wrong... With my... Quirk..." He managed, the throbbing in his body, heart pounding and head thrumming with pain, _"If its this bad now... What the hell would happen if I full transformed? I've gotta find a way for us to get out of here! Or we're all dead!"_ _  
_

"You can't be serious!" Awase lamented, eyes returning to the creature, "Fine whatever! Let's run while its distracted!"

But the moment he moved, the Noumu's head snapped right back to them, "Grrmm! Nnngh!"

"STUDENTS OF CLASS A AND B!" Everything seemed to slow down, as the voice of Mandalay called out through their minds with telepathy, "I've been given a message from Pro Hero Eraser Head!"

 _"NO! I have to protect them!"_ Every fiber of Adachi's conscious demanded, while at the same time his body cried in protest when he moved, every instinct telling him to keep quiet and run, "HEY!" Adachi cried out, waving his good arm to divert the beasts attention from Awase and Yaoyorozu, "OVER HERE!"

"Adachi no!" Awase shouted, the beast turning and b-lining right at him.

"YOU ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED FOR COMBAT!"

Adachi tried to jump back, but the loose soil beneath his feet caused him to slip! Leaving him right in the beasts path!

"Use your training and Fight these villains! Stand up and Face your enemy!"

 _"Mr. Aizawa, I-I will survive... I HAVE TO SURVIVE!"_ His reptilian eyes narrowed to slits, his body moving on instinct as he planted his bloody tail stump in the ground and used it to push himself to the side. The boy rolled out of the way of the Noumu's attack letting it crash into a few trees, "A-Awase... RUN!" He cried out, heart beating slow and heavy, "Grrrrr... Hrrrr... HRAAAAAAGH!"

Adachi was beginning to grow in size, shifting to his full power form while the Noumu turned on him, "HEY!" Yaoyorozu suddenly cried out at the beast.

"What are you doing!?" Awase exclaimed, the creature turning full attention to them both, "He told us to run!"

"He needs time to transform!" She explained, slowly forming a large tower shield with her good arm, "G-Get ready!"

"Hrrrngh! GRRAAANGH!" Flailing arms and whirring saws carried by a muscular form raging towards them.

 **"Gnhhaaa!"** Adachi snarled, doubling over as he howled in pain. With a sharp snap, a new tail sprouted out of the stump behind him, replacing it in an instant while the wounds around his body healed rapidly, **"GRAAAAAH!"**

"Brace yourself!" Yaoyorozu knew Adachi wouldn't make it in time, but she had to stall for him! With all her might she threw her body against the shield as the flailing arms struck, "Gaaah!"

"Nghaa!" Their cries echoed into the night, both students sent flying by the attack colliding with their large shield. Yaoyorozu splitting her head open a bit just below the hairline on impact with a tree while Awase scrapped up his body sliding across the ground.

"One more thing!" Mandalay's voice called out again, "The villains are after a student named Kacchan, whoever that is needs to avoid combat all costs!"

"GNNNAAAAGH!" The Noumu howled, racing towards them to continue the assault in its frenzy. Heavier footsteps sounding just behind the mutant beast.

 **"HRAAAAAAH!"** Yaoyorozu looked up, eyes wide even through the blood running down the left side of her face, as Adachi barrelled into the mutant. Knocking the Noumu right off his feet Adachi charged it straight through a nearby tree causing a crash as it fell to the ground, _"Dammit! Everything feels so heavy, my body is hardly responding, what's happening to me!?"_

"A-Adachi..." Yaomomo muttered, wincing as she moved closer to Awase to avoid the fighting.

The Noumu snarled in anger, trying to strike out at him with its saw blades. But the sound of the whirring blades was reduced to loud clanking as they made contact with his hardened scales having little success. The teeth of the blades chipping and breaking away along with some of Adachi's scales, while the drills attempting to pierce his scales were whittled down and broken in seconds.

 **"Grah!"** However, the hammers flailing and slamming into his jaw was enough to make him recoil, the blunt force upside the head jarring his senses briefly. The Noumu lunging at Adachi like a predator pouncing, throwing all its weight on him with its flailing arms forced the giant lizard to the ground, _"Everything feels so sluggish! Where did all my power go!? Why can't I fight back!?"_

"GRAH! Hnngh! Hrrrngh!"

Ravenously hammering away at his body with all its limbs, beating Adachi into the ground with vicious intent. Adachi was losing strength fast, not only from the repeated blows to the head but rigorous training today finally catching up to him. Each hit dazing his senses more as the Noumu literally began beating him into the ground with no sign of letting up! Even with his dulled senses, Adachi knew if he didn't find a way to fight back soon he'd be-

 _"Dammit! This is just like before!"_ Adachi realized, remembering what had happened at the USJ, _"If I were just stronger, if my body wasn't so messed I could... I could-"_

 _"The name of the game is survival!"_ Pixiebob's voice rang in his head, _"Law of survival kid you either evolve or you DIE!"_

That burning feeling in his chest was back and it was hotter than ever. His body felt like it was on fire, the pain from being beaten down was totally forgotten as the heat surged through him. His itching scales felt like they were starting to dry as he felt his body thrumming, subtle vibrations jarring his every muscle.

 _"Why your limits keep getting tested, that's what it means to improve!"_

A disgusting squelch sound rang out as his hardened scales began to give way. The Noumu tearing into his body with its various tools.

"ADACHI!" Yaoyorozu screamed, tears starting to well up as she watched her classmate getting brutalized.

 _"EVOLVE OR DIE!"_

 _"What it means to improve."_

 _"The name of the game is improve."_

 _"What it means to EVOLVE."_

 _"EVOLVE!"_

 _"Improve."_

 _ **"Or DIE!"** _

Blood poured onto the ground, as the Noumu brought down both drill and saw blades to the broken areas of his body. Sickening wet sounds echoing into the air as flesh was rend apart.

"NO!" She tried to lunge forward, but Awase grabbed her, "LET ME GO! THAT THING IS KILLING HIM!"

"You'll die too!" He argued, not daring to look up at the bloody mess before their eyes fearing he might vomit, _"We have to run, we have to get away from here or else we'll all be-"_

A final, sickening crunch sounded as the hammer came down on Adachi's skull. His cranium caving in, the Noumu's hammer getting stuck briefly, before the beast pulled it away slowly letting blood drip across the ground. Everything was quiet aside from Yaoyorozu's sobbing, while Awase slowly turned to look at the monster.

"A-Adachi..." Yaoyorozu muttered, tears running down her face, "Come on... G-Get up... You... You have to..."

"Hreh... Haaah... Grah..." The Noumu panted, slowly turning towards the two of them, "Hrrngh..."

It took a single step towards them, before another wet messy sound came from Adachi's corpse. The mutant seemed to notice, and slowly turned back around, as something within the bodies chest began to writhe beneath the skin. The Noumu lumbered over the body, raising its hands up slowly to deliver a finishing blow to the somehow still moving corpse.

The moment its arms came crashing down, Adachi's massive jaws were forced open and something smaller came scrambling out followed by a rush of blood. Skittering towards the treeline in the darkness, as the Noumu finished smashing into the body, "Gnngh... Hnnngh?" It groaned, slowly shifting its head towards the blood trail.

Awase finally managed to look up after hearing the beast, looking in the direction it was facing to see a pair of glowing eyes peering out of the darkness right back at him, "N-No way... That... That can't be him right? I-It can't be!?"

Yaoyorozu's sorrow was replaced instantly with disbelief and joy, "Adachi! You're alive!"

"GNNNNYAAAAH!" The Noumu roared and charged the eyes in the dark, as the wildly flailing arms began tearing into the trees and brush a figure leapt out of the darkness. Flying overhead of the Noumu, moving quickly between its flailing limbs even using his tail to swing off one before landing firmly between the Noumu and his classmates.

The creature standing before them was taking long heavy breaths, "I'm... I'm still alive..." He panted sounded absolutely exhausted, blue eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. He wasn't himself anymore, in fact he wasn't quite sure what this was.

"A-Adachi what... What happened to you?" Yaoyorozu muttered as she looked him over.

He was humanoid similar to his hybrid form, but standing much shorter even smaller than his human form with a faintly glowing blue crest sprouting from the back of his head that was flanked by a few bright blue feathers. He didn't have any claws anymore, but as he clenched his fingers to test the grip his hands felt... Strange. Faint glowing line of scales ran down his back from the crest, going all the way down to the end of his tail. He looked slimmer than his hybrid form as well, but still much more toned muscle definition than his damaged body had before.

"Grrrngh!" The Noumu lunged for him once more, seemingly angered by his continued survival if that were even possible.

Adachi held his ground, knowing moving wasn't an option with the others behind him. He had no idea what he was capable of, but he'd be damned if he didn't find out, "HhhaaAAAAAAAH!" He roared, charging forward with surprising speed, _"My muscles are back, and I feel so weightless!"_ He moved between the Noumu's flailing arms with incredible grace, his eyes darting around rapidly noting the position of each arm with a second inner lens, _"This is incredible!"_ Before he sprung straight up off his tail and opened his mouth, "BLAGH!" Blue fire burst from his mouth in the form of a small ball, hitting the Noumu in the face and exploding making it stumble back.

"YEAH KICK HIS ASS!" Awase cheered, seeming to forget all about his own injuries as he watched.

Yaoyorozu winced, wiping some of the blood and tears off her face with her good arm before rising back to her feet, _"He's given us a chance, its time I stop standing around!"_ She decided, eyes lighting up with fiery determination, "Help me out here Awase, I'll need your support while I use my Quirk!"

 _"Its like I can see everything its doing, motions so simple so slow!"_ Adachi was riding high with his new power, looking towards the Noumu as it began flailing and swinging at him once more. His pearly white fangs glittering in the low light as he grinned wildly, "Too slow you big dumb bastard!" He cried out, back stepping and dodging with ease as the Noumu's attacks hit nothing but dirt. The boy knew that while his speed had increased immensely, his physical attacks were much weaker, but this wasn't his limit there was still more he could do if he tried to transform he could feel that. This wasn't the only thing that had changed he was sure of that, but maybe now wasn't the time to experiment...

The boy lunged forward, grabbing the Noumu by the face, "BLECH!" He opened his mouth and unloaded the flaming bursts he was capable of producing. Feeling no pain in his throat after the first one, so he fired over and over. Eventually releasing the creature and landing to catch his breath, the voice of his classmate cried out, "ADACHI DUCK!"

The boy didn't think, dropping to his knees just as the Noumu tried lunging for him again. A forceful explosion sounded, the beast sent flying back as Yaoyorozu blasted it with her signature canon, "Take this you monster!" Firing round after round, sending the beast crashing and stumbling back through the trees before its smoldering damaged body collapsed.

The boys eyes darted to her, as Awase helped support her and aim the cannon at their foe, "Adachi! I'm sorry I let my shock get in the way... I won't let you fight this thing alone! Let's take it down together!"

"I'm done standing around too!" Awase declared eagerly, punching a fist into his palm, "Give me an opening and I'll fuse this bastard to the ground to lock it down!

A grin spread across his face, flashing his sharp fangs, "I'll keep it distracted, whenever you get an opening, attack!"

"Alright let's give it everything we've got!"

"Grnngh! HNNNAAAGH!" The monster cried, body healing itself as it rose back up and began running at the reptilian boy ready for another round with seemingly infinite stamina.

"LET'S GO!"

But suddenly, just as things were about to escalate, the Noumu stopped dead in its tracks. Its extra arms sinking back into its body, before turning around and beginning to walk away. Adachi blinked confused, looking to the others, "Are... Are we being ignored!?"

"Remember what Mandalay said," Awase reminded, "They're after someone named Kacchan... That's one from your class right? Is it possible they got him?"

"That's the worst case scenario," Yaoyorozu winced, holding up her hand as she created something small in her palm, "Quickly, Awase, use your Quirk and fuse this to that things body!"

"I'll help you," Adachi said quickly moving to his side and giving support, "What is this thing Yaoyorozu?"

"A tracker, quick before it gets away!"

He nodded and raced after the beast while supporting Awase, as they closed in the bandana wearing boy slapped a hand onto the creatures back. His palm seeming to spark as it fused the small device to the monsters back. The creature didn't seem to notice however, and kept walking off into the darkness of the forest.

Watching it leave sent a chill down Adachi's spine, _"Does that mean they got him? Or they're calling a retreat? Please be the latter..."_ He mentally pleaded, looking to the others, "Come on, if you can't walk I'll carry you." He assured, taking Yaoyorozu's arm over his shoulders to support her while offering Awase his tail.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked worriedly, wincing a bit as they started moving.

"I'm fine, I feel great actually." He replied, walking quickly back towards camp as the various sounds of fighting in the distance began to fade away, "Just tired..."

"Yeah well once we get back I think you deserve a long nap," Awase lightly joked as they went, "Seriously dude, what the hell was that? This? You changed or something?"

"I'm not sure, I'm not exactly an expert on reptiles," Adachi answered somewhat nervously as he went, "Though I should probably start looking into that more... But I think I just molted, or evolved, or something?"

Awase looked back at the empty shell of Adachi's giant body, it had been less messy than he realized. Just a dried out shell crumbling beneath the Noumu's attack. Still, he was looking at a giant monster skin, "Gross."

"Yeah, don't wanna make a habit of that..."


	38. Picking Up The Pieces, Moving Forward

**SirWaffleses: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying and don't worry I always respond to reviews because its you guys that keep me going :D I really do think I've gotten the whole transformation stuff and evolution of his quirk much better down this time too lol**

 **100PercentBadass: OH don't you worry, more will be explained later when he begins exploring this power. But as you may have been able to guess, this new form just replaces his human form. He's basically finally reached the mutant level oh heroes like Orca or Selkie.**

 **Also I'm apologizing in advance because editing the last half of this chapter was bit of a rush job today because personal reasons sorry DX**

* * *

This was... A total loss.

One of the teachers must have gotten the word out, because not fifteen minutes after the villains escaped there were police, paramedics and fire fighters on the scene. The police were combing the area, while rescue workers dealt with the fires and collected the students that remained scattered throughout the forest.

Of the 42 students attending the training camp, 14 were in critical condition as a result of the gas. 15 had suffered injuries ranging from minor to life threatening, while 12 had also gotten off without a scratch it seemed.

And 1 was missing.

Of the six pro heroes that had been present for the attack. One suffered a severe head injury, and another had gone missing leaving behind nothing but a bloody trail.

On the other side of things, Four villains had been captured thanks to the efforts of various heroic students. But the rest disappeared without a trace, and no trail to follow.

Overall, the summer training camp everyone had been looking forward to... Ended in the worst possible way.

 **. . .**

Adachi didn't seem to have any injuries after healing though his body hadn't returned to normal yet, and a number of his classmates had been badly injured. Midoriya was the worst among them, as per usual, and he'd heard all of Recovery Girl's angry shouting even from down the hall. Luckily with her working overtime, in the last two days since they'd arrived at the hospital everyone was doing okay. Aside from Midoriya and Yaoyorozu's lasting injuries, those that hadn't awoken yet from the gas and...

 _"Ryou."_

The doctors analysis hadn't been good, to say the least.

With a hole cut clean through her body she'd lost a lot of blood not to mention the other lacerations she'd suffered at the hands of the sword wielding villain. It was a miracle she had made it back without dying to blood loss, and now she was in recovery with the healing hero visiting her every day to help her along. Making sure she got plenty of nutrients to help handle the replenishment of lost blood and they even went as far as to get a few donors for her. Either way they'd need time before they could tell if there would be any permanent damage.

 _"I haven't checked on her since yesterday..."_ Adachi thought, getting up from his seat in the lobby, _"Maybe she's up now, or maybe they'll at least let me see her..."_

After making his way up some stairs, he stepped out into the hall and began making his way past the other rooms. Plenty of staff moving around, most ignoring him or giving a passing glance. Things were quiet, somber in the aftermath of the attack. People were scared for these kids, the next generation of Heroes, and the growing power of the League of Villains.

When he arrived at her door, the boy stopped. He could hear a few voices inside, it sounded like some of Class 1-B's members. His hand slowly pulled away from the doorknob, _"I shouldn't intrude..."_ He decided, stepping back and releasing a long, heavy sigh.

"You didn't tell me you were coming here today." Came the familiar, uplifting voice of Mina Ashido as she appeared beside him.

"Right... Sorry," Adachi answered, scratching the back of his scaly neck as he moved away from the door to Ryou's room, "I was just..." When he thought about it, he realized he didn't really have any good reason, "I don't know, needed time to think on the train I suppose... And I was kinda hoping I'd have changed back by now." He added, looking down at his body.

"And it doesn't hurt or anything? Not like, you're straining your body?" Ashido asked, to which Adachi shook his head slowly while looking up at her, "Well, I guess you might have just... I don't know, improved your Quirk or something? So now you're just stuck like this I guess?"

 _"It would make sense,"_ Adachi thought to himself, looking away somewhat nervously, _"This evolution is no doubt an improvement... But still-"_ He shifted nervously, "Is that... Okay?" He felt so small, having been reduced an entire foot in height he now only stood at just over five feet tall, making him shorter than Mina.

Ashido quirked an eyebrow, looking down at him before she released a small laugh, "Of course it is, its not like that scrawny body was why I fell for you in the first place." She teased, booping him on the nose and making him flinch a little, "You're still you, no matter how many scales you've got, and I'm just glad you're okay."

She leaned forward with her lips puckered no doubt attempting to deliver a kiss. The boy's eyes widened, glad these blue scales could hide any blushing he might do. He did his best to return the gesture, pressing his scaly lips against her own. They held it for a moment, before Ashido pulled away quickly.

"Oh my god those feel so weird!" She laughed in amusement, wiping her mouth a little, "Your weird, smooth lizard lips!"

Adachi seemed to shrink a bit with embarrassment as she laughed, all the confidence he had remaining disappearing in an instant, "R-Right, sorry about that..."

"Don't apologize you big dork," Ashido scolded lightly, giving him a nudge, "It's fine, I'll get used to it, I have to if I wanna keep doing that~" She gave him a wink, and no amount of scales could hide his flustered state, "Anyways, lets go find the others, we're all planning to visit Midoriya to try and make him feel better!" She went on with a big smile.

That seemed to snap Adachi back to the reality of their situation in wake of this attack, "O-Oh right, I heard he hasn't been up much... Yeah, lets go!"

 **. . .**

Meanwhile, on the other side of the spectrum, a certain villainess was kicking back in her throne at the new lair her people had acquired hidden away nicely in downtown Tokyo. She smirked playfully at the screen before her, watching as the teachers of UA tried helplessly to explain the mess of current events and their poor methods of handling things.

"Oh now this is just lovely," Zodiac chuckled in amusement, sipping her wine as she watched, "I hardly lift a finger and the League of Villains has put UA on a downward spiral, delicious~"

"I thought you'd be more annoyed," Fenix noted as he stood guard nearby like a loyal dog, "This means the League is getting stronger."

"One successful operation means nothing, aside from an opportunity for us," She replied simply, setting down her glass, "I have a feeling the Heroes will not let the assault on their successors go quietly, there will be retaliation."

"And you want to make a move during this?" He asked curiously.

"Of course," Zodiac nodded her head, standing up from her throne and stretching as she flicked off the TV, "The brat All For One is using as a figurehead will not be able to handle retaliation, in the boys mind he's done everything flawlessly... And when the world comes crashing down around him, we make our move," She explained calmly, eyes flickering, "When he cries out for help and All For One comes running, I will tear him apart."

"I cannot wait to see it," Fenix bowed his head respectfully, "New orders?"

"Keep an eye on our feelers in the police," She stated, "They'll be the first to give us information, once we know where to go its a simple matter of waiting and getting into the right position."

 **. . .**

"Hey Midoriya! You're awake!"

Kaminari was the first to enter, as all that remained of Class 1-A followed in and flooded the room. Earning a glance from the heavily injured Izuku. Adachi stood among the crowd, remaining further back as he thought of what he could possibly say. Everyone seemed so casual, just trying to lift his spirits but Adachi knew that Izuku wasn't silent for the last two days from his injuries...

"Have you seen the news?" The electric boy continued, "The media is all over UA!"

"Even worse than back in spring when the USJ got attacked." Satou added from the back.

"I brought you a big melon!" Mineta chimed in, holding the fruit over his head.

Tokoyami stepped forward, bowing his head, "I caused you so much trouble Midoriya, I'm sorry..."

 _"Of course,"_ Adachi shot the bird faced boy a sideways glance, having heard the story from the multi armed boy himself. _"He went berserk when Shouji got hurt..."_

"N-No its okay," Midoriya assured, face remaining somewhat blank as his eyes drifted over them all, "Is everyone from class here?"

It was Iida's turn to speak, "No, Jiro and Hagakure haven't awoken yet from the villains gas... And Yaoyorozu-"

"Suffered a bad head injury," Adachi spoke up finally, earning a few looks as his eyes drifted down, "I couldn't protect her or Awase very well, I'll have to apologize once she's well enough for visitors."

"So, besides those three..." Uraraka nervously began, "All of us came."

"Of course, Bakugou isn't here." Todoroki said bluntly.

"Dude!" Ashido yelped, shooting him a worried look.

 _"So is isn't just me,"_ Adachi noted, reading the looks of his classmates, _"Everyone knows just what state Midoriya is in..."_

Midoriya held a blank stare with him for a moment, before looking away, "All Might said something to me once, about how sometimes you just can't reach every person that needs saving... But I _could_ reach him, I could have saved him... That's what my Quirk was made for, to save others," He went on, eyes clenching shut as heat began to build behind them, born of his frustration, "But it was just like Aizawa said, I ruined my body and I was totally useless!"

The silence that followed was broken as Kirishima stepped forward, "Then lets go save him _now._ "

Midoriya's eyes opened, any tears that were threatening to spill over faded away, "W-What?"

"I came by yesterday, and ran into Todoroki," Kirishima explained, "We were just going to see if anyone else was awake yet, and we overhead All Might talking to Yaoyorozu with the police..."

Adachi's eyes widened in realization, remembering her plan at the end of his fight with the Noumu, "Kirishima, you can't be suggesting-"

"I am," He answered sharply, "Yaoyorozu said you guys tagged that freak with a tracker," He went on quickly, "The police are using it to pin down the League of Villains location, we should go too and save our friend!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Iida exclaimed, anger clear in his eyes, "Its not our place to interfere! All Might and the Police will handle this! You've got no reason to get involved!"

"You think I don't know that!?" Kirishima demanded, slapping a hand to his chest, "I know its stupid and reckless! But even still, I couldn't do ANYTHING at the training camp! My friend was targeted, and I just stood there and did NOTHING! I wasn't there to help my friends when they needed me!"

Adachi clenched his fists tightly, eyes narrowing at him, "Kirishima..."

"If I don't do anything now forget being a Hero I won't even be able to call myself a MAN!" He continued with fire in his eyes.

"Dude calm down," Kaminari pleaded, raising his hands trying to ease the tension, "We're in a hospital..."

"Iida is right, _ribbit._ " Asui added, looking conflicted as well.

"I know he is! Listen guys, I know everything you're saying is right but..." Kirishima clenched his fists tightly, before turning to Midoriya, "But come on Midoriya! He isn't beyond our reach yet..."

While Midoriya looked on, indecision clear in his eyes Ashido spoke up, "S-So your plan is to get the tracker thing from Yaomomo... And follow it to the villains hideout? And try to save Bakugou by yourselves?"

"The villains said something about us being on their hit list," Todoroki offered his first piece of input, "Yet they captured Bakugou, and while its possible they might still kill him... I think it's highly unlikely at this point."

Iida inhaled deeply, eyes wide with anger and he looked like he was about to explode. When Adachi stepped forward, his sharp reptilian eyes burning into his friend, "Kirishima, I'm your friend, and as your friend let me be perfectly clear in saying this is the stupidest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth." His voice dripping with venom, "Look and what happened when they attacked, a Pro Hero was captured, another was severely injured... Two of our grades strongest students were nearly crippled," He added, referring to Midoriya and Ryou, "While a single one of those mutants nearly killed me AGAIN!" His voice suddenly rising as his tale slammed against the floor making his classmates flinch, "And now you want to go walking into their lair? Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"

Kirishima flinched under his gaze, "Adachi I-"

"You'd better harden up because I'm about to beat some sense into that thick skull!" He declared, stepping forward and cocking his fist back.

"Now hold on," Shoji interrupted, holding out his bandaged arms to stop him, "I understand Kirishima's frustration over not being able to do anything, and Todoroki's anger at being helpless while Bakugou was snatched up, I regret the entire mess as well... But this isn't the time to let our emotions dictate our actions."

"We're all still in shock over Bakugou's kidnapping," Asui added, putting on finger to her face, "We have to think about this rationally, if we start another fight... If we break the law," Her eyes drifting to Kirishima and Todoroki, "Then we're no better than the villains."

Silence sank in, and everyone shared similar looks of dismay or indecision. Until finally the door opened, and the doctor stepped inside, "Sorry to interrupt, but its time for Midoriya's examination." He said simply.

"R-Right, come on lets get going." Sero urged, hiking a thumb over his shoulder, "I'm worried about Jiro and Hagakure too, we should check up on them."

Members of Class 1-A began filing out, while Kirishima quickly gave a few final words to Midoriya. Adachi still glaring at him furiously before nodding and walking out as well. Stepping into the hall and releasing a heavy breath, watching as his classmates headed down the hall looking for the rooms of their other friends. As they walked off, Adachi turned and began heading for the stairs, feeling like he could use some fresh air. The boy made his way up to the roof of the Hospital, stepping out into the sunlight and enjoying the cool breeze that came along with it.

He walked to the fenced edge, looking out over the bustling city that surrounded the Hospital.

 _"I have to do something... Kirishima doesn't getting it, he doesn't understand what it's like t-"_

The sound of the rooftop door opening caught his attention, and Adachi turned around slowly. Spotting his red headed friend, and Ashido approaching as well. Both of them looking pretty nervous while nearing the small blue lizard boy. Kirishima with his hands in his pockets, and Ashido with her arms crossed tightly. Adachi sighed heavily, looking out over the city.

"Hey," Kirishima broke the silence first, rubbing the back of his head, "So... This new thing permanent?"

"Probably... But I don't know for sure yet," Adachi answered, looking down at his hand for a moment. "Eijiro, are you really considering this?"

"I am." He answered without hesitation, "Look, I get it Adachi-"

"Oh you do huh?" He turned on his friend suddenly, Kirishima stepping back as Adachi walked forward towards him, "You understand why I don't want any of you to go? You understand what I've seen, what I've felt over the months since joining UA?!"

Ashido reached out for his hand, "Adachi please!"

But he yanked it away before she could grab it, anger finally reaching the boiling point as he glared at his friend, coupled with whatever stress and fear may have simmered beneath the surface for so long. "Lets do a recap huh? Give you the run down on EVERYTHING I've got through since coming to UA," He said sharply, venomous sarcasm dripping with each word, "I kicked off our first year of Hero High School by uh lets see what was it? Oh yeah getting my ARMS ripped off by a mad man!" His tail slammed down on the rooftop, cracking the tiles, "And we follow that up by being nearly beaten to death by a giant mutant FREAK!"

"A-Adachi dude I'm-"

"But wait, there's more!" He went on, starting to pace back and forth, "While you were picking trash with Fourth Kind, let me remind you that I was being electrocuted, burned, and beaten by a group of criminals trying to KILL ME!" He shouted, jabbing a finger at Kirishima, "Of course I survived, only by being drugged out of my mind and sent into a damn blood rage!"

Ashido winced as she listened, keeping her distance from her agitated friend.

"Which of course reduced my hard earned body to a bony, emaciated shell! Before our camp comes along, and then I get the pleasure of fighting ANOTHER mutant monster courtesy of the League Of Villains," Kirishima didn't bother arguing, eyes down as Adachi ranted, "That was great, got my tail chopped off, nearly beaten to death AGAIN before this happened!" He exclaimed, pointing up and down at his new body, "Whatever the hell THIS even is!" His eyes now burned into Kirishima, glaring up at him, "I hate to say it but, NO Kirishima, I don't think you do get it! Because unlike me, as soon as a villain decides they wanna break a limb or take one from you it isn't just gonna grow back!"

After a moment of silence, while Adachi caught his breath, the red haired boy spoke, "Are you done?"

Adachi's eye twitched, "Excuse me?"

"Are. You. Done?" He repeated, finally lifting his head and returning Adachi's fiery gaze with no fear, "Or have you got more complaining to do?"

Adachi's fists clenched tightly, "C-Complaining!?"

"You know I respected you more than anyone," Kirishima continued, ignoring Adachi's obvious anger, "We've been friends forever, and when we came to UA I was really worried about you because of how much you held back... Then suddenly you saved everyone's life at the USJ and really took the lead of our little group," His eyes drifting to Ashido who watched him with a stunned expression, "You were rising through the ranks, won the Sports Festival, got an internship offer from the Number 8 Hero and even beat down an entire villain gang!"

Ashido could see that deadly look in Adachi's eyes, and tried to step in, "Kirishima what are you-"

"And I thought you were so amazing, because no matter what got thrown at you, you just kept getting back up, no matter what you found a way to survive, to win... I thought it was to protect everyone," His eyes narrowed suddenly, "But apparently protecting people is just an inconvenience to you huh?"

"HRAAAAH!" Adachi lunged for him, shoulder tackling Kirishima and taking him to the ground, "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Raising up his fist with anger burning in his eyes, "EVERYTHING I'VE DONE HAS BEEN FOR YOU GUYS!" He punched Kirishima across his rock hard jaw, splitting some of the skin on his knuckles, "You red headed JACKASS!" He raised his hands, intending to bring them down on Kirishima's head before the boy suddenly pushed up on one side.

Throwing Adachi off of him, the red head standing up with his body fully hardened, "WHY!? None of us ever asked you to throw your life away for our sake!"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE MY FRIENDS DAMMIT!" Adachi roared, charging him and throwing another heavy handed punch.

Kirishima blocked it with both arms, Adachi's knuckles stinging at the impact, "Oh really!? You've lost arms, been mutilated just because we're friends!?" He demanded through grit teeth, "IS THAT REALLY THE ONLY REASON!?"

"OF COURSE!" Adachi pulled his hand back, lunging for Kirishima again trying to grab him. But this time, the red head grabbed Adachi by the arm. Turned over and swung as hard as he could, slamming Adachi back first into the ceiling, "Gah!" He gasped out, wind getting knocked out of him.

"Then why are YOU the one telling me this is a bad idea!?" Kirishima demanded, "I KNOW ITS A STUPID IDEA! But I thought that out of everyone in our class, you'd understand why I HAVE to do this!" The corners of Kirishima's eyes glinted with moister, "You're so lucky, so many times when people have been in danger, you've been there! You've been able to do something, ANYTHING! But it seems like I'm always getting left behind, I haven't saved anyone..." His voice dying down in volume, panting heavily as he wiped a bit of blood from his lip where Adachi had punched him, "After I found out that Bakugou was taken... The first thought I had was, what would you do if I was abducted, or Mina?"

Adachi stared wide eyed up at the sky, letting the realization sink as Kirishima spoke, "I would... Do anything I had to, to get you back..." He finally admitted, lowering his head, "Alright, you can stop, I get it..." Adachi sighed heavily.

Kirishima released a sigh as well, followed by a smirk as he sat down beside him, "Good, was worried I'd have to taunt you some more." He chuckled lightly, as Ashido approached them both.

"You boys," She shook her head, placing her hands on her hips, "I swear you're so stupid sometimes, always throwing fists instead of just talking... But that's why I hang around you, makes me feel a lot smarter." Ashido teased, her playful manner hiding away how worried she was about them.

"Well good to know that's the only reason." Adachi chuckled in response, shooting a glance to Kirishima before he finally got up, "Look... I understand why you have to do this, and I won't try to stop you but... I can't go with you."

Kirishima stood back up at as well, nodding, "I understand, this is my fight, my first _real_ test to become a man!"

Adachi quirked an eyebrow at that, "Uh... No, I mean I literally can't go with you, I'm a giant blue lizard, there's no disguise in the world that's gonna make me inconspicuous."

"Oh..." Kirishima blinked, suddenly blushing, "B-But that man thing is also a part of it right?"

The sheer look of desperation was enough to sway Adachi, "Fine, sure, why not?"

But as the tension melted away, Ashido brought up what her friend had been saying, "Adachi... Do you really feel that way? About... About your injuries?"

Kirishima quirked an eyebrow, wondering the same thing, "Yeah I mean... You've been through hell since we got here, and now with this happening to you... Are you sure you're doing okay?"

His eyes watched the clouds drifting by overhead as he thought about it. In that moment of anger he'd said things that maybe he'd let simmer for too long but... Was that how he really felt? Like this was too much, that he'd been taking too much abuse?

"I guess... I never think about it in the moment," Adachi answered finally, "How much it'll hurt to keep fighting, how much easier it'd be to just stay down, I just move." He explained, sitting up again as he looked over his scaly hands, "Yeah, I could get injured if I keep getting back up but that pain always goes away... When I think about something happening to you guys, or anyone else that I could have protected..." He thought of Yaoyorozu and Awase, and the injuries they'd suffered, "I think that pain would last a lot longer."

"Well remember that we don't like seeing you get all chewed up either," Ashido smiled, poking his scaly shoulder, "So stop trying to get yourself killed if you can help it."

Adachi laughed lightly in response, "Hey at this point I'm either secretly indestructible or have some kind of God watching over me." He joked.

Kirishima shrugged, "I think it's called Plot Armor."

"What?"


	39. Vengeance! The Zodiac's Real Power

**Going to open this one up with a warning, if anyone is reading who hasn't read the Manga you should stop here because we are officially passing it so spoilers abound. I'd say the anime will be caught up/past this point in another 2-3 episodes.**

 **In addition to that some real life stuff has gotten in the way and I'm gonna have to focus on my jobs for bit so I'm going to take the month of June off from writing. I know it kinda sucks because it feels like not much has really happened since going on break before but this time its more out of financial necessity than really wanting too T~T**

 **IVReal: Thanks a lot! I'm glad my writing can keep people engaged, and boy howdy if you think I've made some crazy changes before you're going to love this chapter though the title may have already given it away XD  
**

 **LL The Phantom: Don't worry he still has his transformations and they've gotten enhanced as well, just atm we don't really have the opportunity to explore them with everything that had been going on. Once school resumes after all this craziness we can get into his changes more!**

 **Star Geman: Lol yes thank you XD I'm glad my stupid joke landed well with everyone.**

 **Razukai: Yeah, I really try to avoid doing any character complaining because really Adachi doesn't feel like whats happened is too much, just a bunch of things kinda building up over time and his idiot friend pushing him over the edge lol**

 **Anyways, this chapter is gonna be a big one so ON WITH THE SHOW :D**

* * *

Adachi had gone home that day with Ashido, while Kirishima stayed behind at the Hospital to enact his plans with the others. It was night now, and they'd probably already left. In light of everything had happened, his parents had been pretty lenient in letting him stay out later. Which was nice, he thought, as he rested his head in Ashido's lap, the two sitting in her relatively empty house while the news rolled on showing the ongoing press conference with UA Staff Members.

"You have to wonder why they dog UA so much," Ashido noted, idly picking at Adachi's scales while they relaxed, "Its like they're ungrateful for all the good Heroes do..."

Adachi didn't seem to mind her fiddling, tilting his head to get a better view of the TV, "Yeah, but when you've got such a prestigious school sitting on top I'm sure someone would pay to see them taken down a peg..."

"Didn't realize you were such a pessimist," She teased, tugging on one of his feathers as if to see if it would come off, "I think they're just held at a higher standard."

"Probably that too... And I'm not a pessimist!" As the press conference came to an end, Adachi sighed and got up stretching his muscles out a bit, "Anyways, I guess I should get going... Hopefully we'll hear some good news by tomorrow."

Ashido pouted as his body heat left her, "Yeah, hopefully... So, not to change the subject but, have you actually tried turning back to normal yet?"

Adachi blinked, "Yeah of course, why?"

"I don't know, I was just curious," Ashido shrugged as she got up as well, "I mean, you said before that being all big and scaly drains your stamina or something, but you seem fine now."

"Yeah I guess I am, maybe its because I actually got smaller?" Adachi question, looking at his hands briefly, "Usually when I change its like... Well, how can I describe it?" He pondered for a moment, "Like I'm holding my breath, or sucking in my gut I guess," He decided on the simple explanation, "And when I change back to normal its like releasing that breath I'm holding." He reached his arms up, flexing his muscles a bit, looking a bit silly in his now oversized shirt, "Doesn't feel like that at all now, so even if I can change back... Should I?"

Her eyes remained fixated on him for a moment before she laughed lightly, "Yeah, I guess if you're feeling alright then its no big deal!" She assured with a grin, before tilting her head, "But can you still get bigger?"

"Hmm, good question." Adachi quirked an eyebrow, staring down at his hands, "Alright hang on..." He took a deep breath, clenching his fists as he tried to grow larger, at least to Hybrid form, "Grrrr... Hnnngh! HRAH!" He bulked up suddenly, muscles growing while his hide became thicker and less smooth. Though unlike before, his body didn't retain a completely human shape, he was forced to hunch over but had grown much larger reaching almost 7 feet tall. His legs bent like a predators, looking much more powerful while his arms grew longer. Over all he appeared like a smaller version of what had been his full power form before, "O-Okay..." He grunted, looking down at his hands, "This is certainly different... I'll definitely need to do some training to figure this out."

Ashido rolled her eyes, seemingly unimpressed with his transformation, "Training training training, that's all you ever do! Come on we just survived another life or death experience, shouldn't we be treasuring these moments together!?" She asked in an exaggerated manner, bringing her hands together and leaning against him from the side.

Adachi chuckled at her overreaction, "Probably, but I'd also like to be strong enough to prevent life or death situations from happening in the first place." He reminded, his tail suddenly wrapping around her waist, "Which means MORE TRAINING!"

"Agh! HEY!" Ashido yelped, laughing as Adachi started curling her with his tail as if he were lifting weights, "Not cool! I'm not a piece of exercise equipment!"

"True, you are much prettier than the usual equipment I work with." He teased, grinning with his arms crossed over his chest, "But if you are so concerned, perhaps its finally time we schedule that date?"

Ashido blinked in surprise, "Well that sounds-"

The news was suddenly interrupted, the view changing, showing a city that appeared to be absolutely devastated, "Breaking news as a Nightmarish scene unfolds here tonight!" The caster called out quickly, Adachi and Ashido's eyes darting to the scene, "It seems like in just the span of a few moments, Camino Ward has been razed to the ground! And at the moment it appears All Might is locked in combat with the villain responsible, a man who we have reason to believe is the Mastermind behind the League of Villains!"

Adachi's eyes widened, "No... No does that mean, Kirishima and the others are..." His eyes drifted over the sheer devastation left by the apparent battle, heroes and police scrambling to rescue those in peril while the battle raged.

"I can't believe it! A single villain has leveled half the city! A SINGLE villain! Is proving more than a match for All- Wait, look over there at that! Something is moving beneath that rubble pile!"

The camera refocused suddenly as an explosion sounded behind the fighters. A massive scaly shape emerging through the dust, "What the hell!? Wh-What is that!? SOME KIND OF MONSTER!"

 **. . .**

 **Ten Minutes Earlier**

"Last call boss, are you sure about this?"

Zodiac drew in a deep breath, standing atop a building looking over the warehouse location her people had managed to get her. Information leaked by an informant among the police, "I've never been more certain about anything in my life, Vector."

"We can still back you up, just say the word and we'll-"

"No," She answered quickly, "This is my fight, my great mountain to climb... And before I leave here today, All For One will die."

"Yes ma'am, we'll stand by at the extraction point... Good luck."

Zodiac smirked wickedly, turning off her communicator and getting ready to move, "Now to find a way in," She jumped down into the narrow alley below, "Search for an unguarded entrance or just blow a hole in-" Her words hitched, the woman blinking in surprise as she spotted five strangely dressed youngsters, "Uh... Pardon me but I wasn't aware I'd have guests during my vengeance this evening."

The five of them looked absolutely stunned, as if each one seemed to recognize her. And as she stared them down, Zodiac started spotting a few interesting details of her own, most notably the strange hair of one boy wearing an obviously fake goatee. The longer she looked, the more she began to take apart these apparent disguises the five of them were wearing.

"Aaaaah yes of course," She snickered in amusement, "Students from UA, here to try and rescue their little friend?" It was hardly a question, why else would they be here?

Midoriya swallowed nervously, "Y-You... You're The Zodiac..."

"Oh how endearing," She smiled in an almost friendly manner, "And here I'd thought the new generation had completely forgotten about me, delightful..." She took one step closer, and they all took a step back, "Right right of course, you're a bunch of children and I'm a bloodthirsty killer, best to keep your distance, smart."

"Are you here to meet with the League of Villains!?" Iida demanded, doing his best to keep himself between her and his classmates, "To form some kind of villain alliance!?"

"Sshh! Iida!" Kirishima grabbed his shoulder, the sounds of police cars nearby, and voices as Heroes and Officers began to storm the warehouse.

Zodiac quirked an eyebrow, hearing the voices, "Hmm, the fun will be starting soon... And to answer your question," She moved with incredibly speed, her head resting against Iida's shoulder as she whispered, "I'm not here for you, or the Heroes, I'm here to cut the head off the League of Villains, so you could say we're on the same side... Unless you piss me off of course." Her eyes darting between the others, who all watched with tension clear in their eyes like they might pounce at any moment, "I've got no business killing kids tonight, stay out of my way and you'll get your friend back."

Voices were rising beyond the wall, as Mt. Lady, Best Jeanist and several other notable heroes began breaking open the vats containing many more of those Noumu's monstrosities. Tiger himself was there, from the training camp, and he'd found their missing team mate hidden away as well but she seemed... Something was wrong.

"Ragdoll! Come on speak to me! What's wrong!? Are you okay!?" He demanded, searching desperately for an answer as her blank eyes stared off into the night sky.

"She appears to be breathing," Gang Orca noted, "That's a relief, we should get her to a hospital though."

"I am quite sorry Tiger," Zodiac's ears perked up, as the new voice sounded from the darkness, "But I've had my eye on her Quirk for quite some time, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to take it."

The students in hiding knew something was up, as a twisted grin spread across Zodiac's lips, "It seems our host has arrived..."

"Stop! Not another step!" The Orca Headed Hero demanded, holding up a hand, "Someone get a light over there!"

"Ever since I was reduced to _this_ ," The man continued, stepping forward slowly out of the darkness, "I haven't been able to stock up as much as I'd like too..."

The moment his body entered the light, fibers tightened around him attempting to restrain the man. Best Jeanist holding up his hand, having activated his quirk, "J-Jeanist!" Mt. Lady cried out, "What if he's just a civilian!?"

"Use your head," He retorted sharply, "We cannot afford even a moments hesitation, or the enemy could turn the tables on us, I won't allow the League of Villains to play any-"

His words were silenced by a thunderous crash, as raw devastation tore through the warehouse. But it went far beyond the boundaries of the building. In a split second, it was as if a bomb had gone off. In one swift motion, the entire street and many buildings around the warehouse had been decimated. Reduced to rubble, some of them looking as if they'd had part of them vaporized.

And in the following silence, cries of victims caught of in the aftermath sounded in the night. And while the students appeared absolutely crippled with fear, Zodiac had a twisted, wild grin on her face.

But it was added to suddenly by loud coughing, "Gah! Agh! Ugh that tastes disgusting!" It was a new voice, one most of them recognized. The goal of this entire suicidal mission, Bakugou.

And it wasn't just him, more voices sounded as various other members of the League appeared out of thin air following various coughing and gagging.

"So you failed again, Tomura Shigaraki," All For One said calmly, facing his pupil, "But you mustn't lose heart, you can still set things right, that's why I rescued your little band as well... As well as-"

"Oh will you shut your mouth you long winded piece of shit!"

And just like that, Zodiac announced her presence. Jumping over the wall and landing on the ground, walking slowly towards the villains ahead of her with all the confidence in the world. Those of Shigaraki's Vanguard eyed her suspiciously, while All For One and Shigaraki himself gave her blank stares.

"I'm sorry am I interrupting a heart to heart with your little shit over there?" Zodiac questioned, venom dripping from every word as she looked between them, before her eyes landed on Shigaraki, "Pardon us _boy_ , the adults have business to take care of."

The eyes of Shigaraki narrowed sharply, glaring daggers at her, "Master... I want to kill her."

"As you should," All For One responded calmly, "But lets not be hasty... I assume you're here to make an offer or get your revenge, what excellent timing, seems to me your information network is more intricate than I gave you credit for." He stepped past Shigaraki, remaining between him and Zodiac, "You aren't the same mad dog you were when I put you down before, you might actually amount to something if left to run amok, Zodiac."

Bakugou's eyes darted between the villains around him as they spoke, _"She's not on their side, which means I might get an opening to run... This chick is crazy."_ He swallowed dryly, watching to see how things played out.

"A deal with you? Ha! Sure, how about this, you let me rip off your head and I don't leave your little brat in a bloody heap for the police to lock up," Zodiac fired away, holding nothing back and making her intentions clear, "I don't give a shit about your little spat with All Might, I don't care about the boy, and I certainly don't care about this vanguard of young blooded pricks you've gathered!" She exclaimed with a wide, feral grin before pointing a finger, "I'm here for you! All For One! And I'm not leaving until you're DEAD!"

"I'd like to believe you'd grown smarter after our last encounter," All For One released a heavy sigh, raising one hand slowly as it began to vibrate, "But this is a crucial moment, and I cannot have you ruining it... 2 Instant Impact Quirks, with augmented strength and speed."

His hand moved in the blink of an eye, aiming right for Zodiac's heart intending to kill her instantly. But the burst it released hit nothing but the wall behind her as she moved with surprising speed sidestepping the attack, "What's the matter old man? Am I too fast for you?" She asked with a wicked grin, as if that one dodge had solidified her confidence.

"Interesting... So you aren't just barking louder," He let out a small chuckle, "You've actually taken the time to improve, and in such a short while since getting out of Prison."

"I was always strong just narrow minded," Zodiac spat in response, walking around slowly as if she were about to begin circling him, "I took a theme for my power, thinking that would make me scarier and perhaps it did... But in doing so I sacrificed the TRUE potential of my Quirk!" She declared, finally coming to a stop as if deciding this was the right spot, "You helped me realize that, and now it'll be that power that breaks you OLD MAN!"

She broke into a head on blitz, her speed was nothing special but her eyes flickered as she lunged for him, "Instant impact, 3 enhanced strength Quirks." Enough to blow her away with no trouble, "Hnngh!?"

To his surprise, the blow actually bounced back on impact as Zodiac overpowered him, "Are you underestimating me!?" She demanded, her eyes glowing brighter as her muscles swelled and she carried through with the attack, "YOU SMUG FUCK!"

The blow landed dead center of the chest, blasting All For One back towards Shigaraki and his crew. The impact could have been deadly had he not used one of his many Quirks to reinforce his body, "Impressive... I'd had a theory your power wasn't so simple as the Zodiac animals, good to know I was correct."

"Master..." Shigaraki muttered, almost worriedly as he watched them both. His hatred of this woman rising steadily.

"Tch, you don't know the half of it." Zodiac sneered, holding up a hand, "My Quirk is called Evolutionary Assimilation, any animal DNA I consume I can transform into and take on the aspects of." She explained, the skin on her hand rapidly changing between scales, both reptilian and fish, as well as fur and chitin, even feathers for a brief moment! "But oh wait kids that's not all, while I was rotting in prison I found out I could combine the aspects of animals for more potent, deadly power... Its amazing what you pick up when you get to do nothing but think for twenty years! That punch I just landed was the power of the Ox, Horse, Rhino and Elephant!"

"An interesting trick, but just a pale imitation of true power," He answered in a much more serious tone, evidently he was done toying with her, "Though... I am curious, where does the dragon come from?"

"Ha! That ones just a big mixture of things," Zodiac laughed in amusement, "Snakes and various other large reptiles and I can put on quite the convincing chinese serpent dragon." She explained with a grin, "And I've already expanded my repertoire, just for you~ I escaped and collected money as fast as I could to afford even the smallest strand of bone marrow from ancient beasts... All so I could CRUSH-"

All For One took his opening, as he sensed a familiar presence approaching. He unleashed a mighty attack, blasting Zodiac just as he'd done to the heroes. Taking her off guard and sending her crashing and smashing through the buildings that remained behind their warehouse. Burying her beneath a mountain of stone and metal...

 **. . .**

"Alright that's it we need to get in there!" Vector barked in anger, watching the battle below from the rooftop vantage point.

"We have orders, and we will follow them." Fenix replied calmly, eyes scanning the rubble as a massive crash sounded with an explosion of dust, "It seems All Might has arrived... This gives her a chance to slip away."

"Or do something really stupid."

"She will be fine," Fenix answered, eyes narrowing as he ignored the ongoing battle of super powers and kept searching the rubble for her, "She won't let this night be the end of her... Not when she's so close to revenge."

 **. . .**

Zodiac groaned as she opened her eyes, leaning forward and rubbing her head, "Dammit... Let my guard down, stupid monologue..." She grumbled, looking around and blinking in surprise as she realized she was sitting in some kind of temple, "Where the hell am I? Dead?"

"No, of course not." Came a mimic voice, another version of Zodiac appearing nearby wearing a very traditional noble dress of her house, "But not for lack of trying."

The Zodiac sighed and rolled her eyes, "Great, not dead, in my own head, not sure which is worse." She complained, before glaring at other self, "Well I'm going to wake up now, still got shit to do."

"You plan on continuing this fight?"

"Of course, I've practically got him on the ropes," She scoffed, excitement flashing in her eyes, "I'm going to get my revenge, I've been waiting for this for years!"

"And what will you do once it's done?"

Zodiac's amusement vanished briefly, before returning as a small, devious smile, "I'll gather my pawns, and rebuild."

The other Zodiac nodded her head slowly, "And if you can't defeat him?

"... If I can't, He will... That is his job after all."

 **. . .**

"But do you realize All Might, that just as you despite me... I hate you too?" All For One questioned, staring down his doom driven foe. The field around them utterly cleared and destroyed. After a successful rescue operation, and the escape of Shigaraki and his crew, it was just All For One and the few injured heroes remaining, "Certainly, I killed your master, but you robbed me of all that I had amassed..." He held up one hand, preparing to unleash his incredible destructive power once again, "That's why I want you to die the most brutal, ugly death imaginable!"

Before the power could be unleashed, an explosion of rubble sounded from behind the villain. As a massive shape exploded from the dust, erupting free of the debris and into a dead sprint for All For One. The massive scaly beast was unmistakable, the real king piece of Zodiac's Genetic Arsenal, **"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**

The roar of the golden Tyrannosaurus thundered through the night, while her heavy footsteps carried her onward. Blood ran from various wounds on her body left behind by All For One's attack. As the villain turned to face her and All Might stood stunned by the Zodiac's explosive intervention.

"You truly are a pest!" The Villain sneered, raising his hand, "Now die like the mad dog you are."

Zodiac's mind was racing, everything she had prepared for this exact moment. The final strike that would either end this villain or end her life! Mid charge she changed shape, returning to human form as All For One turned his super powered attack on her, _"Shell density of the Tortoise, Doedicurus and Ankylosaurus!"_ She tucked her arms and legs up to protect herself while her skin warped and changed colors, "Hnnngh!" She hissed in pain, the intense force nearly blowing her away but she managed to hit the ground and dig in with morphed talons just in time. Her clothes were torn away leaving her in a tattered outfit, while the plating she'd formed on her arms was all but broken away and bloody.

All For One stared in surprise at her resilience, "You are stronger than I realized, but you are far beyond your limit!"

"Don't forget about ME!" All Might declared, racing in and attacking from behind with his fist drawn back, "Detrooooit! SMASH!"

He turned just in time, raising his arm and blasting back with as much force as he could muster in such a short time. Only just barely managing to cancel out his attack, _"Dammit... With both of them attacking at once I-"_

"HAAAAH!" Zodiac screamed as she raced in as well, _"Speed of the cheetah, strength of the Mammoth, Rhinoceros, Bull!"_ He turned on her as well, throwing another destructive wave of force to try and deter her. But the impact of their fists striking one another unleashed an immense shockwave blowing back both on their heels, "I WILL NEVER BACK DOWN!" She cried, _"Rabbit legs! Jumping power of the kangaroo!"_ She sprung straight into the air, transforming mid flight back into the Tyrannosaurus, intending to crush him into her incredible weight.

An explosion of dust erupted as she made her landing, narrowly missing him with her legs as he dashed to the side, "You are far more trouble than you're worth Zodiac!" He said harshly, raising his hand as she turned to snap at him with her massive jaws, "HAH!" Unleashing the incredible blast of force right into the side of her head but only succeeding in stunning her.

Rolling with the momentum of stumbling away, she managed to broadside All For One with her massive tail sending him flying and rolling through the dirt. Before the villainess started to shrink back down to normal, blood loss and overuse of her Quirk starting to catch up with her as she glared at him, "Ngh! D-Dammit... I-I'm not finished you... You basta- AGH!" She gagged and fell forward on her knees as blood spurted from her mouth, her body well beyond its limit.

All For One got up slowly, panting heavily into his breathing device as he raised his arm aiming for her, "You've reached the end of your luck, Zodiac." He was too on edge, the intense fighting making his common sense slip for just a brief second and forget all about his real target.

Nearby the downed Hero Gran Torino's eyes widened, "He's going for another one of those massive attacks! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TOSHINORI!"

The attack fired, just as All Might made his move. The earth was torn asunder, the few remaining buildings were leveled as the attack blasted past Zodiac. The woman closing her eyes and bracing herself for the cold embrace of death.

As the dust began to settle, All For One seemed to be brought back to reality by the sight before his eyes. Panting heavily as he stared down his nemesis, "You had the perfect opportunity... In a moment of my weakness because of this insufferable woman... And still."

Zodiac's eyes opened, looking up at the scrawny, emaciated form of All Might who stood there holding up one fist. The way the ground was split around them showing that he'd protected her, "You... You saved me?" It almost sounded like an accusation, as her eyes narrowed sharply at him as she analyzed his weakened form, his TRUE form, "And this is the result... You pitiful fool, now we're BOTH DEAD!"

"Of course he saved you," All For One chuckled in amusement, "This is all he has left, he clings to what little pride remains in saving those who are beyond help or not worth saving..."

"Zodiac..." All Might spoke in a lower, raspy voice unlike his usual boisterous, confident tone, "I hate you, as far as I'm concerned you deserve to be locked up for the rest of your life but... Its a heroes duty, to protect those in trouble, to meddle where we don't need to... I thank you for your assistance, but I'll handle things from here."

Zodiac grit her teeth listening to him talk, _"He's right, with my body in this state I'm useless here now... DAMMIT!"_

 **. . .  
**

"Wait... What the? Are my eyes deceiving me?" The news reporter asked from her chopper vantage point, "All Might has become... Emaciated?!"

Adachi's eyes were wide with fear, the sheer level of destruction was terrifying. And seeing what the Zodiac was really capable of, on top of All Might's current state only made him more afraid. He sat beside Ashido, the two holding each others hand tightly and remaining silent not wanting to miss a single detail. They'd never seen anything like this before but knew they were witnessing history being made.

 _"So this is what he was talking about, his power has faded completely now... H-He's-"_

"All Might can still win," Ashido said, her voice sharp and fiery as she rose from her seat, "He's not down! No matter what he looks like he's still going to win!"

Adachi looked up at her, his fear ebbing away as he saw the look in her eyes, "Ashido..." He remembered his own body, what he'd overcome to reach this point and grit his teeth, "Yeah!" He jumped up as well, "Come on All Might!" Other Heroes were jumping in, Endeavor and EdgeShot distracting All For One while Kamui Woods and Tiger recovered some of the injured nearby and got them clear.

"ALL MIGHT!" Ashido cried, a few tears rising in her eyes, "YOU HAVE TO BEAT HIM!"

"He's going to beat him!" Adachi declared, clenching his scaly fists tightly, "He's not going to lose! He's the Greatest Hero! ALL MIGHT!"

 **. . .**

"You can still take this guy right!?" Endeavor roared in anger while throwing his flames at All For One, "You're supposed to be the Number One Hero so DO YOUR JOB AND BEAT HIM!"

"Fine, if I can't see him dead I'll see him in chains," Zodiac grit her teeth, rising to her feet and forcing herself to move knowing that if she stayed here she'd be captured for sure. Even so, "You hear them you big bastard!? I couldn't beat that piece of shit so its your job to finish this! You've got a whole world cheering you on and you're my only hope of getting revenge so get your ass in gear!" She commanded, fists clenching tightly, "Put on that big stupid smile and TAKE HIM DOWN!"

The Number One Hero clenched his fist, as All For One hovered in the air overhead, "I've got no intention of losing... Everyone, I'll defeat him! I'm putting a stop to this right now!" He declared, as All For One's arm grew massive and grotesque with various Quirks flowing into it. The Number One Hero blasted forward to meet him in the air, mind racing as he went, _"He's cancelling out my attacks with his power, but he only ever attacks one hand at a time... If I time it just right-"_

The ensuing explosion from the impact rocked the entire district. Dirt and dust blowing sky high and forcing the news choppers to get clear as those nearby were blown away including the Zodiac. But as the dust began to settle, All For One realized just by the feeling of it that he'd made a grave mistake. All Might's power had left his right hand at the last second, the Hero letting his arm get utterly shattered just to make an opening.

"SMAAAASH!" The blow from his opposite hand struck All For One clean across the jaw knocking him down and nearly forcing him to the ground.

"Hnngh! W-Was that all!?" He asked, wincing as he tried to keep himself up.

"Not even close!" All Might declared, lunging with his right fist cocked back and swelling up to muscular form, _"Good Riddance, All For One!"_

 **"UNITED STATES OF!"** Thrusting forward, he hit All For One with every bit of power he had left, _"And goodbye..."_ The blow carrying him forward and smashing the villain into the earth, **"SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"**

 _"One For All..."_

 **. . .  
**

The room was silent, as Adachi and Ashido watched the dust clear. Holding their breaths without realizing it...

"The Villain... He's not moving!" The reporter announced after a few more seconds, "He WON! All Might WON! Our Hero Stands Victorious!"

Instantly Adachi and Ashido broke out into cheers, jumping up and down and hugging one another tightly. Both of them not realizing until now they'd been on the verge of tears while watching.

But as they embraced, Adachi couldn't shake the feeling that this was the start of something new. That the nights events would have far reaching implications.

The world was about to change...


	40. Aftermath, A Changing World

**Welcome back everyone! I know the break was long but I'm back now and here to stay until we hit the end of what I've got planned. Sunday is the new Update day just so everyone is aware btw!**

 **During my time off I experimented with some other writing, working on an original work on another site. And while trying some new things there I did notice something about chapters that I'd like to ask you about.**

 **PLEASE READ THIS NEXT PART I NEED FEEDBACK HERE!**

 _ **Would you all prefer shorter chapters that come out more frequently? Or these longer once a week chapters? Like, to give you an idea currently I aim for at least 3500 to 5000 words per chapter, posting once a week. Are you guys okay with reading these huge chapters or would you prefer if I lowered it to like 2000 words and posted twice a week? Please let me know!**_

* * *

It was like the entire world had changed overnight.

Many innocent lives were lost, The Symbol of Peace was gone.

But the Greatest Evil had also been vanquished.

This was a Pyrrhic victory for the Super Hero Society.

On the other end of the spectrum, however...

"She's waking up..."

Her head was throbbing, eyes slowly opening as she groaned in annoyance.

"Its okay, we got you out before things turned messy, All Might defeated All For One and he's been hauled off to Tartarus." The reassuring voice of Fenix brought a small sensation of comfort, "Angel healed you as much as she could for the time being, we'll finish up once she's rested."

Her body ached everywhere, though any dangerous wounds had been healed up she was nowhere near fixed, "Hnngh... Don't... Bother."

"What?" Fenix blinked, watching as she slowly sat up in the bed.

Hissing in pain as she rose, Kasumi turned her tired eyes onto him, "All For One has been defeated... All Might is gone, and my true power has been revealed... I'm going to take the time to rest, and reflect." She explained calmly, more calm than he'd ever heard her speak.

"I... I understand." He bowed his head respectfully, "Whatever you need in the mean time I will acquire for you."

"Keep gathering money, minions, gear... Anything we can use," She answered, eyes turning to stare out the nearby window, "The Zodiac is dead, when I show myself to the world again I'm going to be something new... Something more dangerous..."

"As you wish..."

 **. . .**

It had been just days since everything that happened between All Might and All For One, summer break wasn't even half over but how could everything just go back to normal after what had happened? Could they all just return to UA and pretend everything was fine? Adachi wasn't so sure, and the thoughts had been plaguing him for some time now while sitting in his room.

All Might had gone on TV and publicly retired, though he stated that he'd be maintaining his teaching position at UA which was met with some controversy. All For One had been locked up, and the League of Villains had gone into hiding. While several Pro Heroes were seriously injured, Best Jeanist was taking time off to recover while Ragdoll seemed to have lost the ability to use her Quirk.

And he still hadn't heard anything about school, and it was driving him nuts. But luckily, a distraction and an answer was imminent, as he heard a car pulling up outside of his house, one he didn't recognize.

"Wh-What the hell!?" He blurted, watching as Mr. Aizawa and All Might himself stepped out. Before quickly jumping out of his bed and rushing to the door of his bedroom, racing down the stairs and to the kitchen as the door opened.

"Figured you'd be by eventually," The voice of his mother sounded with a heavy sigh, "Come on in, I'll make some tea..."

"Don't trouble yourself," Aizawa answered calmly, as both of them slipped off their shoes and were lead to the kitchen, "Good afternoon Kaiji." He greeted the boy with a nod.

"Uh... H-Hey, Mr. Aizawa, All Might." The lizard boy replied with a respectful nod, "What are you two doing here?"

Both Heroes quirked an eyebrow, before looking at one another and then to Shisui, "You didn't tell him?" Eraser Head asked.

"No, no we did not." Sounded Kento, Kaiji's father, as he wheeled himself in from a different room, "Because we still haven't come to a decision... Please have a seat." He said, motioning towards the kitchen table.

"Didn't tell me what?" Kaiji questioned worriedly, standing beside the table as Kento rolled up to it and the teachers took their seats across from him, "What's going on?"

"In order to better protect you students and improve our educational programs," All Might began calmly, "We're going to move the students into Dorms, you should have received the letter a day or two ago."

"We did." Shisui answered sharply, pouring a few cups of tea and moving to the table.

Kaiji narrowed his eyes, "And why didn't you tell me!?" The bit of anger clear in his voice.

"Because we haven't agreed on whether or not you should go back to UA." Kento said grimly, as if he dreaded the words.

"WHAT!?"

"Please, Young Kaiji calm down." All Might urged, "Just have a seat, no need to start yelling, we came here to discuss the matter..."

"Right, so lets get straight to the point," Shisui spoke up quickly, "I've got no interest in beating around the bush, since going to UA my son has been beaten, injured, put in danger countless times, and nearly died on several occasions." She listed off quickly, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair, "Let me know if I'm forgetting anything, but please tell me Eraser Head, All Might, why the Hell should I consider letting him stay on this path?"

Aizawa bowed his head to her at that, "I will not sugar coat it, your son has been through hell... And I blame myself for putting him on this path at the USJ." He said calmly.

Kaiji flinched, "M-Mr. Aizawa you didn't-"

"I urged you to fight," He interrupted, raising his head and looking to him, "When we were backed into a corner, and I couldn't do anything to protect my students I told you to fight because I had a gut feeling you were much stronger than you let on... As a result, you were nearly killed by that Monster... Ever since then you've pushed yourself, gone through more beatings and even completely changed yourself because I urged you to fully use your Quirk even if you weren't ready for it, so I take full responsibility."

Kaiji lowered his head at that, not having much of a response and understanding what he was saying. Shisui however, was not impressed, "Well congratulations, admitting you screwed up is the first step, but that doesn't change anything."

"I am well aware," Aizawa nodded, "But I only say that because that feeling hasn't ever left me." He explained, eyes drifting back to Kaiji, "Not just my regret, but what I saw in your son... Kaiji, you have so much potential, and everything you've done since coming to UA has only reinforced that feeling in my gut."

"Your son is truly amazing," All Might added on, "The way he's progressed from the meek boy that came to UA months ago to where he is now has taken many of us completely by surprise, he has a tenacity and spirit I myself have rarely seen... It would be a terrible loss if the world were to lose him as a Hero of the next generation."

Kaiji found himself smiling at that, chest swelling with pride, "Thanks..." He only hoped their words would reach his parents as well.

"And what about you?" Shisui questioned, eyes darting to Kento, "You've been quiet, you gonna give in to this optimistic bullshit or back me up?"

Kento took a deep breath and sighed heavily, "My opinion may be biased, because I was once a hero... But I can't deny the writing on the walls, things are going to get worse before they get better and I don't want my son to end up like me." His hand gripping the edge of his wheelchair, "However... I also can't deny how much Kaiji has grown up since going to UA, and neither can you." The man's eyes darting to Shisui, returning her glare.

The clearly annoyed women clenched her fists, "I'm not saying he hasn't grown up, or that he hasn't done amazing things... I'm saying that I know the criminal world," She said sharply, turning to All Might, "With you gone, the crime rates are going up, more stupid assholes are crawling out of the woodwork... You may think you've taken down the League of Villain's biggest hitter but you've just made them stronger... There is gonna be a lot more blood on the ground before this is over, and it is NOT going to be my-"

"Don't I get a say in this!?" Kaiji interrupted, glaring at his mother with more desperation than anger in his eyes, "You act like I don't know what I'm doing, like I'm some stupid kid in over his head... But I know what choices I've made, I know what it might cost me."

Shisui clenched her fists tightly, "You don't get it Kaiji!"

"You don't want me to end up like Dad," Kaiji shot back quickly, voice lowering to a much calmer tone as he looked between his parents, "I know you're afraid... And I'm not going to say I won't get hurt again, or that I won't be in danger, but I can't stop now... There are too many people counting on me, people that believe in me, people that I want to protect." He took a deep breath, bringing a hand up to his chest, "Its my blood, and its my decision when and where it gets spilled... But I don't plan on dying anytime soon, you can count on that Mom."

"If you're worried he's going to get knocked down again, he will." Aizawa chimed in during the following silence, "But your son isn't the kind of person who will ever stay down, he's a tenacious, stubborn little bastard."

Though Shisui tried to hold her stern look, at that last part she let out a snort, "Heh... I don't know why I bother, kid's too stupid to back out, dammit... Fine, I won't stop you... But if anything does happen to him, your head is going to be mounted on the hood of my car, Aizawa."

"Noted." He nodded his head in response.

Kaiji sweatdropping nearby, "Sh-She's kidding, of course..." Kento added with a nervous laugh and while taking Shisui's hand.

All Might laughed lightly in response, rising from his seat, "Well I'm glad we could resolve this, the details on what he'll need are on this paper and we can't wait to see him back in class in the coming days." He placed the paper down and turned to Eraser Head who was busy scribbling something down, "Come on, we've got more parents to visit."

"Of course," Eraser Head stood up as well, before extending a hand to Shisui, a small paper in his palm, "Still have to run it by the Principal, but I think you could help us out, I'll be in touch."

Shisui took the paper, quirking an eyebrow at him suspiciously, "Uh... Alright?"

"See you in class Kaiji." Aizawa bowed his head to the parents respectfully, "Thank you for having us." Before the duo took their leave, stepping back outside and leaving the family quite confused.

"What was that all about?" All Might questioned curiously.

"Just an idea, don't worry about."

"WAIT!" Both turned their heads back to the door as Kaiji ran out to them, or more specifically to All Might, "I... I needed to ask you something."

All Might quirked a confused eyebrow, "Of course, what do you need?" Expecting it to be about his injuries, as some of the students had already asked.

"The Zodiac," Startling both teachers as Adachi's eyes lowered slowly, "You... I saw on TV, you protected her from that maniac and it... I guess exposed what you really look like to everyone," He stated, looking up All Might in the eyes, "Why? Why protect a monster like her?"

All Might sighed heavily, "I understand why you're confused, after all you got to see what a monster she and her gang are first hand... And maybe I wouldn't have to retire had I not tried to protect her, but maybe I wouldn't have survived that fight at all without her interference."

"What?" Adachi blinked in surprise, remembering how Zodiac attacked All For One like a wild animal, literally, "That... That doesn't make her a good person though!"

"No, no it does not," All Might answered, "But maybe its a start to change? I can't say I saved her on purpose, I just saw someone in danger and moved... Even if you don't agree with me, consider this," He stepped forward and placed his good hand on Adachi's shoulder, "People in this world, human beings, have the potential to do great things, or cause great evil, all based on those around them..."

Adachi processed the words slowly, "What do you mean?"

"I don't believe Zodiac is going to change overnight, or maybe even at all," All Might shrugged, pulling back his hand, "But in the end, even she was cheering me on to defeat that monster."

The boys eyes widened, "N-No way..."

"Maybe it was for the wrong reasons," All Might added quickly, "But in that moment, she wasn't a villain... She was just another person that wanted to see a great evil destroyed."

Leaving Adachi to consider that, the two Heroes climbed back into their car and drove off. Likely heading to either Kirishima's or Ashido's home next. Adachi himself sighed and slowly went back inside, thinking hard on what All Might had told him.

 **. . .**

"Alright, that's it... Nice and easy..."

The voice of Recovery Girl guided Ryou back to the waking world. Her eyes slowly opening, seeing the familiar ceiling of UA's Infirmary. Her entire body felt groggy, heavy, her mind a bit hazy, "Where... Where am-" Before she suddenly remembered everything that had happened. The training camp, the forest, her friends, the villains, the sword- "Ngh!" Her hands instantly moved to her side where the blade had been, faintly remembering reaching the building and meeting Mr. Aizawa before things got hazy.

"Its okay Ryou, you're safe now, everything is fine." Recovery Girl assured, keeping her distance so Ryou had space to calm down, "You're back at UA."

"Back at... Where is everyone else?" Ryou asked, noticing that her body seemed to be in remarkably good condition, "What happened at the camp? Is everyone okay!?"

"Easy," Recovery Girl urged, placing a hand on her shoulder after moving to a seat beside her bed, "You need to calm down, everyone is safe but you've been out for a long time, the training camp was over a week ago."

Ryou's eyes widened and darted to Recovery Girl, "You kept me out for a WHOLE WEEK!?" She exploded in shock.

"I had to," She argued, "Your body was severely damaged, and it wasn't just bones or muscles you had a hole through two of your major organs!"

Her answer seemed enough to settle down Ryou, the girl looking down at her hands, "But still... An entire week?"

"You lost a lot of blood," She continued, sighing heavily, "And the way your body stockpiles energy, augmenting you, I was afraid the strain might be too much for a weakened lung to handle, so I kept you under for healing purposes and to suppress your Quirk until I was sure you were fully healed."

Ryou took a deep breath and nodded, "Well, so long as everyone is okay and I don't have any permanent damage, I guess that's fine." She smiled, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing up, "I feel great! Thanks a lot Recovery Girl!"

"Before you go," The old woman spoke up, reaching out and catching her hand, "There are some things you need to understand... The world has changed since the attack on the training camp."

Ryou looked back at her, frowning with worry as she turned back around to face her fully, "What do you mean?"

After making Ryou take a seat, Recovery Girl explained everything that had happened. Starting with the well being of her classmates, before moving onto the injuries of those in Class 1-A and then to the capture of Katsuki Bakugou. Followed by the events of the raid on the League of Villain's hideout, All Might's battle with their true leader and the defeat of the greatest evil. Ryou seemed excited and relieved to hear this at first, before Recovery Girl began to explain All Might's current condition, and that he had been forced to retire.

The young girl was stunned, eyes wide in disbelief but after already knowing about his dwindling power she knew it was going to happen eventually. Her shoulders slumped as she stared down at her hands, "But he's... He's okay right?"

"Yes, a bit battered but he's okay." Recover Girl assured with a faint smile, "But things around UA are going to change as well... Today various teachers visited student families to talk to them about moving our student body into dorm rooms here on campus."

Ryou blinked in surprise at that, "Like... Everyone living together in a big building?"

Recovery Girl nodded, "Yes, and though we are seeking Guardian approval, you lack that... So, I think its up to you," She explained with a smile, "After what you suffered nobody would blame you for bowing out, but we would love to have you here at UA nonetheless."

Ryou didn't even hesitate, "Are you kidding!?" Bolting up from her seat, "I get to live ON CAMPUS with all my friends!? THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!"

"Goodness dear please not so loud!"

"Sorry sorry!" Ryou laughed lightly, rubbing the back of her head, "I'm in! Even if All Might can't protect the world anymore I still can! I'm gonna do my best to make sure everyone still feels safe!" She declared eagerly, before realizing- "Oh, but I've gotta head back to my apartment and get my things! And talk to my landlord, my boss too! I'm good to go right?"

"Yes of course, go right ahead," Recovery Girl assured, waving her off, "Just be careful out there."

"Right, thanks again!" Ryou beamed, rushing out the door and running down the halls, _"Everything changed so fast! Its like a whole new chapter!"_

She was practically sprinting, wasting no time. So many emotions coursing through her, as she imagined how things were going to change around her. Living together with her friends, being so close to school with such great training facilities accessible at all times! And she didn't have to work a job on the side anymore either!

But all those thoughts came to a screeching halt, as Ryou rounded another corner and nearly ran right into the man himself.

"A-All Might!" She yelped, sliding to a halt as she looked down at his scrawny body.

"You're awake," He said in greeting, smiling up at her, "And in fine form I see... Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I just gotta get home and start packing my things," She chuckled nervously, "B-But I can talk! I want to talk actually! About you!"

All Might nodded his head in response, "Of course, I'm sure Recovery Girl filled you in on everything including the dorms..." He lead her over to a nearby bench, taking a seat and patting the spot beside him.

"its not about that, its about you!" She repeated, not taking the seat as she watched him, "I heard about your fight, what happened with that big scary guy and you retiring, it sucks! So I wanted to make sure you were doing okay!" Ryou explained with a big smile.

No, there was something else in her eyes, and All Might could see it, "Hey... Don't you go worrying about me, I'm fine," He assured, reaching out and grabbing her hand, "I'm just happy you're okay, I heard about your injuries and was scared for you."

Her smile faltered ever so slightly, as she remembered the sharp pain in her side left by that blade, "I... No, I'm fine, see! All better!" She assured, lifting her shirt just enough to show the scar left behind by Judgement's blade, "And I got this wicked scar!"

All Might sighed and leaned back, "I'd prefer if you weren't getting scarred at all..." Something in his own eyes changed, as he patted the seat beside him once more.

This time, Ryou relented and sat down, still dwarfing him in size, "You sure you're okay?"

"If we keep asking that, this conversation will go in circles for hours," He joked lightly in response, before taking her hand again, "You know... Because of my duty, as the Symbol of Peace and the Number One Hero, I missed out on a lot of things in life... But because of you, I was able to experience some of those things, and I wanted to thank you."

Ryou looked at him in surprise, her smile fading, "A-All Might, I-"

"Come on, I'll buy us dinner." He offered suddenly, smiling up at her, "You must be hungry after all."

"I-" Her stomach rumbling cut her off, as her cheeks flushed a bit, "W-Well..."

"Ha! Come on, let's go some place with a buffet!"


	41. New Friends, New Homes

**WOOO Getting in at 2am and staying up until 5 revising and editing is the BEST!**

 **Also small notice, I'm going on vacation with some friends this upcoming weekend and won't be back until late next Monday. So the new chapter will be delayed until then, sorry guys!**

* * *

"I'm really sorry to quit like this," Ryou said into her phone as she cleaned up around her apartment, "Everything is moving so fast, I wish I could show you how grateful I am for the job Mr. Miyagi..."

"Hey don't worry about it," The kindly old man replied, "After seeing everything that happened, I'm just glad you kids are all okay... You can repay me by pursuing your dreams, you'll be a great hero Ryou."

She stopped briefly, a warm sensation bubbling in her chest, "Th-Thank you... I'll be sure to come by the shop again when I can, see you around."

"Good luck." Before he hung up.

As the silence settled back in, Ryou put her phone down and released a heavy sigh. Setting her box of clothes aside and wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. She'd spent the better part of her day since arriving back home cleaning up her things and packing for the move into her dorm room. She was so excited, and had spent much of her time chatting with friends over the phone between packing. She'd already spoken with the land lord, and everything was squared away to get her out of here in the next few days before school started up again.

The fit young girl was just taking another drink from a glass of water when she heard something crash outside. Blinking in surprise she rushed to the door, pushing it open and stepping out to look over the railing, "Huh?"

"O-Oh Gen- uh, Tobita I'm so sorry!" A little girl yelped as she quickly grabbed a large box and moved it off of a grown mans foot, "I didn't realize how heavy it was!" Her red hair was arranged into big pigtails, her eyes ringed with black eyeliner.

"Ngh! N-No no my dear Manami it's entirely my fault!" The man, evidently named Tobita, assured masking his pain with a bright smile, "It is a gentleman's duty to carry such burdens, let me handle the heavy lifting!" Tobita seemed to be an older man of refined appearance. He had a slicked back hairdo with a small curl at the front. Sporting a handlebar mustache along with a well-kept, medium-sized beard.

Ryou tilted her head as she watched them. They appeared to be emptying out the back of a truck, maybe a moving truck? She did vaguely remembering hearing from the Land Lord that there would be new neighbors soon, "Heeey!" She called out, startling both of them, "You two need some help?"

Their eyes darted up to her, the man clearing his throat briefly and waving her off, "No need young Lady, we are quite alright I can handle thiIIS!?" His eyes widened as Ryou jumped over the railing and landed before them easily dwarfing both the newcomers with her incredible height.

"Oh come on!" She grinned at them, "It's no trouble really, just tell me where to go!" Ryou urged, grabbing the heavy box out of the Manami's hands with ease and tucking it under her other arm, "I'm Ryou, Rinksuke Ryou, nice to meet you." She added with a quick bow of her head.

Tobita looked to his young associate, who simply shrugged in response, "Well... If you insist, how could I turn down such a bright smile?" Turning back to the car he grabbed another two boxes and began heading for the stars, "We're in apartment 2-C." He explained as they went, "My name is Tobita, and this is my assistant Manami."

"Oh man 2-C?" Ryou groaned as she followed up the stairs, "Of course the week I'm moving out I finally get a neighbor, just my luck..."

"Well that's a shame," Tobita chuckled as they reached the door and began to unlock it, "You seem quite young though, are you living here all by yourself?"

"Yeah that's right," She nodded casually, "I'm enrolled at UA, and they're moving us into dorm rooms this week so I'm outta here!"

The man nearly tripped as she mentioned UA while Manami froze up a bit in place, "U-UA, you say?" He released a nervous laugh and recomposed himself, "Hmm, come to think of it I do believe your face is familiar..." Tobita added while setting down the boxes, "The sports festival I believe, I could hardly forget a woman of your stature."

Ryou laughed at that, rubbing the back of her neck as she set down the box, "I get that a lot!"

She continued assisting them carry in their things while exchanging idle chatter with Tobita despite their initial resistance. Though Manami didn't say much to her, they continued for over an hour moving things into the duo's new residence. Chatting about recent events, though Tobita seemed far more interested in hearing about Ryou than actually talking about himself, not that Ryou picked up on it...

"So yeah I was out for like a week or something but I got this cool scar now!" Without warning Ryou yanked up the front of her shirt just enough to show off her abs and the scar on her ribs.

"Gah! Please young lady!" Tobita covered his eyes with a blush at her act before realizing she hadn't revealed anything unsavory, "Ahem... Yes well, that is quite scary, you young Heroes have certainly been through much." His eyes drifted to Manami as she shut the door, "Was that the last box?"

"Yep, we're all finished, just have to unpack." The little girl nodded her head, eyes darting to the scar left on Ryou's back left by the blades exit wound.

"Well I'm glad I could help," Ryou smiled and put her shirt back down, "It was nice to meet you both."

"Wait, young lady, please allow me to repay your kindness." Tobita said suddenly, "Why not have a seat, I can whip us up some delicious tea."

Ryou blinked and looked back at him, "Oh I... I mean I wouldn't want to impose, it's already getting kinda late and you guys have got unpacking to do."

"No please I insist." He chuckled, waving her off, "It's the least we can do."

"Well, I wouldn't want to be rude... Sure, why not?" Ryou nodded her head, "Want me to put away some of these boxes while you make the tea?"

Earning another laugh from Tobita, "Rinsuke you are truly too kind, but do not trouble yourself... Manami why don't you make sure the balcony is clear for us with Ms. Ryou, so that we may enjoy our tea under starlight."

She nodded her head, "That does sound nice..." Walking past Ryou and heading for the door leading outside in the back, the taller girl followed along and stepped into the cool night air.

There were already a few chairs sitting around so they made sure it was all organized with a small table while awaiting the tea, "Mr. Tobita is really nice," Ryou said to the little girl with a smile, "You're lucky."

"Yeah, I guess I am..." Manami replied, trying to look over the edge but couldn't manage it even on her tip-toes, "This railing is so high..."

"Here," Ryou picked her up suddenly as she yelped in surprise, "Best seat in the house." She assured, placing Manami on her shoulders, giving her a full view of the park below and the city skyline in the distance, "Better? Let me know if you're scared of heights."

Manami remained quiet for a minute, taking in the sights before looking down at Ryou, "You're really nice... Even though we just met, I've never met anyone like you aside from Ge- Mr. Tobita."

Ryou shrugged in response, "I just like seeing people happy, that's all..."

"But why are you here all by yourself?" She followed up curiously, resting her hands on Ryou's hair, "I noticed you kinda... Dodged it whenever Mr. Tobita asked you."

Ryou sighed lightly, shaking her head, "You're a perceptive little girl... I don't really have any family, not parents anyways." She explained, "I've got my friends at UA, and my teachers, they're kinda my family now."

Manami spoke faster than she thought, "That's sad."

Ryou didn't reply instantly, hesitating for a moment and Manami was about to apologize when-

"Why? Because you say it is?" Ryou asked simply, tilting her head, "I'm not crying about it, so you shouldn't either!" She declared in an exaggerated manner, putting on a big grin while looking up at Manami, "Put that deadpan look away and give me a smile!"

As the little girl stared down at her face, she could feel it giving way slowly. Though she tried to fight it, a small smile slowly spread across her lips, "You're a weird girl, Ms. Ryou, it's too bad you're moving to UA..."

Ryou shrugged in response, finally putting down Manami, "UA isn't that far from here, I'll leave you guys my number in case you ever need someone to show you around the town!"

 **. . .**

A few days later Adachi left his home, giving his goodbyes to worrying parents and meeting up with his friends before making their way to the station. Along the way they talked about how things were going to be different now and the new chapter of their lives they'd be stepping into. Once they reached UA, they were directed to another part of the Campus, only about five minutes away from the main building.

It was only about three days old, but stood tall and proud, "Heights Alliance..." Adachi muttered, standing alongside many of his classmates as they looked at the large building before them.

"Our new home." Kirishima nodded, grinning excitedly.

"It's huge!" Satou exclaimed.

Ashido laughed, "Talk about a rich kid school right?"

"I can't believe we're going to be living here together from now on," Adachi smiled lightly, as Mr. Aizawa stepped out of the main doors and approached them, "Time for orientation I guess?"

"First things first," Aizawa began as he stopped before his class, "We couldn't be more happy that you're all safe and sound, back together again."

"Yeah," Sero chimed in, "Looks like everyone got permission to come back huh?"

Followed by a heavy sigh from Hagakure, "I had to fight tooth and nail for it..."

"Well that's what you'd expect I guess." Jiro shrugged.

"You two were directly effected by the gas a lot worse than anyone else." Ojirou added.

"We're glad you're back too Mr. Aizawa," Asui spoke up, "After everything going on with the media we were afraid you wouldn't be allowed to return..."

"... I'm surprised as well," Aizawa answered honestly, "But a lot has happened, kids..." He brought his hands up and clapped them together, "Now then, I'm going to give you all a brief tour of the dorms, but before that we need to discuss how we'll be moving forward to get the provisional licenses we'd planned to train for at the Lodge over your summer break."

"Oh yeah I completely forgot about that!"

"Far too many things have happened since then and it slipped my mind," The teacher continued, "But this is important so listen up... Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Iida, Midoriya, Kirishima..." His eyes turned sharp and serious, "On that night... You all went to try and rescue Bakugou."

 _"Shit..."_ Adachi thought, swallowing nervously as everyone in the class remained silent.

Aizawa scanned them over like a predator eyeing its next catch, "And judging by your reactions, you all knew what they were planning to do." He took a deep breath and continued, "Up until now I've been shelving things left and right, but let me be perfectly clear... Had All Might not been forced to retire, then aside from Bakugou, Jiro and Hagakure, each and every one of you would have been expelled." The tension increasing, "The five who went of course would be gone without question, and the thirteen that knew about it and did nothing to stop it wouldn't have gotten off free either." Aizawa shook his head slowly, "Whatever reasons you may have had it doesn't change the fact that you've betrayed our trust... So I'd be grateful if you restored that trust, by going through the proper procedure and getting your licenses." And then, as if nothing had happened, he turned on his heel, "Now then! Let's all head inside with a spring in our step!"

Adachi sweatdropped, _"Yeah that's not happening... Hell of a tone shift from a moment ago."_ He noted looking around at his classmates.

"Cm'here!"

"Agh! Hey let go of me!" Adachi's eyes shifted with everyone else to see Bakugou dragging away Kaminari to a nearby bush. Once they were out of sight a burst of electricity was unleashed, and Kaminari stumbled out, "Durrhurr!" Acting like an idiot after blowing his wattage limit.

A few snickers and laughs rose from the students, slowly bringing their spirits back up as Bakugou stepped out and headed for Kirishima, "Here, take it." Holding out a handful of money.

"What? But why-" The red head stopped and blinked, realizing it was the same price as the expensive night-vision camera he'd bought for their rescue mission, "How did you even know how much it cost?!"

"Who cares... Lets go." He grunted and began walking off after Aizawa, "If I've got you hanging around scrounging for money it's gonna make me look bad too."

 _"He's certainly changed..."_ Adachi noted, smiling faintly and following along with the others as they made their way into the building.

Aizawa lead the way and gave them the full tour, "Its a class to each building, the girls take the right wing and the boys take the left, while the first floor is a co-ed space... The mess hall, baths, laundry and the like are located here."

"So big!" Ashido exclaimed, "And there are couches for us all the hang around on too!"

"Hey look out back there's a courtyard too!" Sero pointed out eagerly.

While Uraraka swooned, "I'm in a mansion! A palace!"

Ignoring them, Aizawa continued, "Your rooms are all located on the second floor and up to floor five, we've arranged you all how we saw fit." Leading them down a hall and opening one of the rooms to show them the relatively empty interior, "Each individual room is outfitted with air conditioning, a bathroom, fridge and closet... It's pretty luxurious."

Midoriya stepped out through the back door of the room and onto a balcony, "They even have a veranda!"

"All of the luggage we had you send us before hand is waiting in your respective rooms," Aizawa explained, "Go get all of your things unpacked and settle in, we'll go over what happens next tomorrow, you're all dismissed."

"Yes sir!"

 **. . .**

Some hours later it was already dark out, and Adachi was just finishing organizing his collection of manga on the shelf above his computer. Sighing in relief as he placed the last volume into position and sat back down in his chair, "Whew, all finished..."

Looking around he took a final appraisal of where everything was just to make sure he wanted it there. Aside from his bed he had a computer desk with his PC on it, the shelf above containing all his manga while a separate shelf behind him had the various books or movies he enjoyed. And a few posters dotted the walls, one of Ryukyu and the others of old classic monster movies.

After taking a few minutes to enjoy the bed he got up, _"If we're all going to be living here, I should get to know some of my classmates better."_ He decided, really he wasn't that familiar with many of these people he called friends despite how much time they'd spent together. But being here now, living together, building bonds seemed like the best idea.

With that in mind, Adachi stepped out into the hall intending to head down into the Lounge and see if anyone else was around, "Hey," His head snapped around in surprise, looking up at Yaoyorozu as she appeared, "Got a minute to talk?" She wore a smile but it was faded and on the verge of changing.

"Uh, sure what's up?" He asked, a bit confused why she'd come to talk with him specifically.

"Well, I haven't really had the chance to thank you after what happened at the training camp," Yaoyorozu explained, folding her arms across her chest, "But more importantly, I wanted to apologize."

Adachi blinked, "Apologize? For what?"

"For standing by while you were brutalized." She got straight to the point, "I should have done something, anything to draw that monster away from you but I just watched as it tore your body apart..."

He shivered involuntarily as the memories came back. The boy quickly shaking them off, "H-Hey come on," Adachi waved her off with a nervous chuckle, "It turned out alright, besides Awase was holding you back-"

He stopped as she suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, "But what if it hadn't!?" She demanded, startling him with her increase in tone, "What if you hadn't transformed and you'd just been beaten to death by that thing while I watched!?" Her eyes glistening with moisture as she stared down into his own, "Yeah Awase held me back, but even if he hadn't I don't know what I would have done!"

The boy's own eyes widened in surprise, _"I didn't realize... I guess she did basically watch me die..."_ He thought, unsure what to say, "M-Momo I'm sor-"

"No!" Her grip on his shoulders tightened as she shook him, "Do NOT apologize! You were protecting me and Awase, and because I froze up you could have died," A single drop finally rolled over the edge and down her cheek, and she clenched her eyes shut while looking down to try and fight back the rest from following, "I could have done something, ANYTHING to get that things attention off of you but I didn't... And I'm sorry."

Adachi's face flushed as she suddenly pulled him into a tight hug, "Ngh!" Thanks to their new size difference his face was planted firmly against her-

"So sorry..." She continued, just letting it out for a few moments, "After what happened to you, I ended up getting caught up in that crazy plan to save Bakugou as well, because I thought if I let them go alone I'd be watching someone else die that I could have saved..."

It was getting hard to breathe, and Adachi hated to think what someone might say if they saw this, "Gmmph!" He tried to speak up.

"What?" She blinked, opening her eyes up and looking down before her own face turned a deep shade of red, "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry I forgot how short you are now!" She exclaimed jumping back and releasing him.

"D-Don't mention it..." Adachi muttered as he recomposed himself and fighting back an unwanted nosebleed, while Momo wiped her eyes. Adachi took a deep breath and smiled back at her, "Look, Yaoyorozu, I am sorry... Not because of what happened, but because lately I'm realizing how many people are worried about me, and what's happened to me... I'm sorry my actions made you feel this way, and I am going to do better from now on," He assured, "I'm not going to get maimed anymore, no more losing limbs or breaking bones."

Yaomomo nodded her head, returning his smile, "A lot of us around here would appreciate that, especially Mina..."

Adachi quirked an eyebrow at that, "Is that right?"

"Ask her yourself," Yaoyorozu laughed lightly, "Come on, lets go see what everyone is doing downstairs."

From there, the night escalated into Room King shenanigans. Everyone being forced to show off their stuff while voting on who had the best room. After everything that had happened since the camp, it was a great blow off night of stupid fun for everyone. And despite all the bad things that had happened, they were all here now together.

Ready to face whatever trials were ahead.


	42. Super Moves and New Costumes!

**Hey Everyone! I got back from vacation a little early so WOO!**

 **Anyways, there are some important things that need to be addressed so PLEASE READ THIS NOTE IF YOU CARE ABOUT THE STORY!**

 **Okay, so I asked two weeks ago what you guys would think about chapter length changing. And I only got ONE response. Which doesn't really help me at all, because I can't just change format based on one person. So I'll ask again, would you prefer to keep things going as they are with 1 long chapter per week, or would you rather get two shorter chapters per week?**

 **Also, in the interest of transparency I will say that at the moment I have everything through the actual internships planned out. But after that I am likely going on hiatus until more of the manga release. And honestly that is going to be for a long time, and whether or not I come back to this story at all really depends on popularity. If people are reading an enjoying, I'm fine with continuing, but this garbage where I hear MAYBE 1 thing for each chapter I'm spending hours on is not at all enough to keep me writing. So I'm just going to say this here and now, after the internships are finished, this story lives or dies based on you readers.**

 **Now then, enjoy the new chapter More table setting...**

* * *

"The Symbol of Peace, is dead."

"The League of Villains is getting stronger."

"We need to speed this up."

"Increase subject conditioning, information transfer and growth."

"She needs to be ready, we will begin field testing as soon as we can."

 **. . .**

"As I told you all Yesterday," Aizawa began, while the students of Class 1-A sat in their desks for the first time in weeks, "Our first priority is to acquire your provisional licenses."

"Right!" The class replied eagerly.

"Hero Licenses are a serious responsibility, and are directly related to matters of life and death." He continued calmly, "As such, the exams to get these licenses are extremely difficult, the yearly passing rate for even just the provisional license is only about 50%."

Adachi swallowed nervously, "Just for the provisional licenses?"

"So starting today," Aizawa looked towards the door, "Each and every one of you..."

It burst open, as the Pro Heroes Midnight, Cementos and Ectoplasm stepped inside, "Will be developing at least Two New Super Moves!"

The class exploded with excitement, anything involving hero training was enough to raise morale.

"No way, super MOVES!?" Kirishima beamed.

"This is like school work and Hero work rolled into one!" Kaminari added.

"That's right, Super Moves," Ectoplasm replied, "In other words, powerful techniques sure to turn the tide of battle."

"And any such technique that is truly one with your style admits no imitation," Cementos added holding up a finger, "Success in battle depends on how far you can push your unique skills!"

"And your moves are a symbol," Midnight finished up with a big smile, "In this day and age if you're a hero without a special move you're an endangered species!"

Adachi sweatdropped, _"That sounds like a bit of an exaggeration... I think?"_

"We'll explain things a bit more clearly alongside demonstrations," Aizawa chimed back in, "Go change into your costumes, and assemble at Gamma Gym."

 **. . .**

"TDL, Training and Dining Land!" Cementos explained as they stepped into the massive gym facility, it was mostly empty but there were various hatches in the floor, "This is my personal facility, I can fashion terrain or objects I think best suit your training needs, that's where the dining part of the name comes from."

Iida's hand shot up suddenly, "I have a question! Why is it necessary for us to create these special moves for us to get our provisional licenses?"

"I'll explain everything in order," Aizawa answered simply, "Whether its criminals, accidents, disasters man made or natural, its a heroes job to rescue people from all kinds of peril, and the exam will be all about judging your aptitude in various fields," He explained, "Insight, Agility, Judgement, and Combat Prowess, along with other factors like communication skills, charm, and leadership ability, the exams will cover many of these things but its hard to say for sure because it changes every year."

"But within that paradigm," Midnight chimed in, "The item that will receive far and away the most emphasis on upcoming heroes is fighting prowess, so keeping that in mind and preparing for combat is a good way to secure a good score, and having moves to show off in combat will help greatly."

"But remember that there is no reason a super move has to be purely offensive in nature," Ectoplasm stated, "Take Iida's Recipro Burst for instance, a sudden extreme increase in speed has many applications and as such could already be classified as a super move."

"I think I get it," Adachi said aloud, "Our special moves just need to be something we know would give us an edge in battle." He stated, thinking briefly about anything he might have had, _"I called my big punch Dragon Fist but that's just me throwing a punch at full power, not really special... I'll have to really think about all my forms and what they can do."_

"The Quirk Reinforcement training that was cut short over the summer was meant to be the first step in creating these special moves," Aizawa explained, as Cementos began creating their training ground, "So in the ten days you have left of summer break, you're in for some two in one training." Mountains began to rise, and Ectoplasm's clones took position all over the training field, "You'll be whipping up super moves and extending your Quirks at the same time."

"And furthermore," Midnight added, "You'll also be thinking of ways to improve your costumes to best fit your new Quirk extensions and support your super moves!"

"Now if you're all ready," Aizawa smirked faintly, "Let's get started."

"Yes Sir!"

 **. . .**

"Alright Adachi, do it."

The boy sweatdropped, looking up at Ectoplasm's clone, "Wh-What do you mean?"

"Transform, all the way," He answered simply, "No doubt your transformations have changed drastically, and I'll need to see just how much before I can give you real help."

He swallowed nervously, "Right... Okay, no problem." Adachi clenched his fists, eyes narrowing as his body began to grow and his bone structure adjusted to the heavier frame as he hunched over a bit.

"So your second stage evolved as well," Ectoplasm noted aloud, "Hide certainly looks sturdier... Can you still breathe fire?"

Adachi turned towards a few of the pillars before him, inhaling deeply as he felt that heat welling up in his throat, "BLAAAGH!" Unlike in his first form, the fire emerged in a torrential cone, like someone using a flamethrower the blue fire splashed over the stone scorching its surface. He held the fire for a few moments before letting it die out, stepping back and inhaling a sharp breath.

"And how does your throat feel?"

Adachi blinked in surprise, "Pretty good actually, it didn't burn me!" His lips cracked in a toothy grin, as he raised a clenched fist, "This is great! I feel so much stronger now!"

"Show me what you can do." Ectoplasm ordered, looking to the pillars, "Destroy them any way you can!"

"HRAAAH!" Adachi charged head on, turning and swinging his massive tail at the concrete towers. On impact he felt only slight backlash before they gave way shattering to pieces against his assault. His grin grew wider, emboldened as he cocked back his mighty fists and tore into the pillars with both claw and knuckle. Tearing the stone apart with ease and with no damage to his hands! "Gnnngh! GRAAH!" Adachi's mighty jaws crunched right through the stone, before he grinned and spat out the rocks, turning to Ectoplasm, "This is incredible! It's like I've got all the power I had before in a condensed form!"

"Hmm, yes the way your body has evolved is quite interesting," He replied, watching him curiously, _"It'll be interesting to see how much further he evolves before he actually stops growing... Still, its strange he hasn't reverted to human form yet, perhaps if he were to totally burn out..."_ He mused for a moment, "Now lets move on, your final form."

"Right okay!" Adachi nodded eagerly, "I haven't actually tried this since the camp, so I don't know what the changes will be... But here we GO!" He closed his eyes and reached for that well of power deep inside of him, that thrumming primal energy, "Hnngh!"

"Adachi? Are you alright?" Ectoplasm asked as Adachi fell to his knees.

"Grrnngh! Hnnngh... G-Get... BACK!" Adachi cried out suddenly, baring his fangs as his claws tore into the floor beneath him. His body was beginning to grow and change shape once more.

Adachi wasn't just getting larger, he was stretching out. His entire body getting longer while his arms and legs grew and bent differently than they normally would. Ectoplasm watched in awe as Adachi began to turn into a quadruped! His neck was extending, tail growing longer and splitting halfway into twin-tails as well while his face morphed into a far less humanoid shape, taking on bigger fangs and a second set of eyes just behind the first pair on each side of his head. Unlike before, his back was remarkably smooth aside from a few rows of blue feathers running from the base of his skull to his tail and two particularly noticeable curved spines jutting from his shoulder blades. Strangely enough, they each had a bit of webbing extending from their tips to the base.

 _"Ugh... Okay this feels weird..."_ Adachi groaned as he opened his eyes, the room feeling like it was spinning his four eyes darted around rapidly. He took in a sharp breath and went wide eyed, feeling an alternative air intake along the sides of his neck, _"DO I HAVE GILLS NOW TOO!?"_ His mind screamed.

"Holy crap Adachi!" Kaminari cried out.

"He's HUGE!" Uraraka added in awe.

 _"Huh?"_ Adachi blinked, looking down and nearly jumping as he realized his head was at least ten feet off the ground. Looking back at his body, all four eyes widened. His body had grown massively in size, from nose to tail tips he was about Thirty Feet long. Fifteen of that being his chest and lower body, his tail resting on the ground behind him for another ten feet while his neck and head were a combined five feet long. While standing up on all fours he only about ten feet off the ground though, _"I-I've become some kind of... Four legged, lizard monster!"_ Though unlike most large lizards, his body was very slender. But with every movement he could feel the incredibly powerful muscles residing beneath his blue scales.

"Well this is... Quite an adjustment." Ectoplasm said, a few of the other teachers watching the boy closely for any signs of feral behavior, "How do you feel?"

"Graar-" Adachi closed his mouth, realizing he couldn't speak. Or rather, that it felt incredible hard to do so, "Gnnghraaah! Hoogh... K-Kah!"

"Okay? Is that what you're saying?" To which Adachi nodded his big head quickly, "Alright, we'll have to put you to work on improving that, if you can manage that much maybe you just need to adjust to the bodily changes... For now, we should test out what changes may have occurred."

"Gnngh!" Adachi grunted in response, nodding his head again before his eyes drifted over the others, _"They certainly look stunned... Maybe a little worried."_ Taking the opportunity, he managed a big toothy grin at them, trying to show he was alright, _"I don't really blame them, it looks like I'm really starting to turn more Kaiju with these forms..."_

"Alright everyone else back to work we've got more training to do!" Aizawa commanded.

"Give us some fire boy," Ectoplasm ordered as the students began moving away, "Preferably away from the others, for safeties sake."

Adachi nodded his head, as Cementos rose up a large stone slab for him to shoot at. The massive beast took a few deep breaths, that familiar warmth rising hotter than ever in his belly. He opened up, taking in one final, deep breath as his eyes began to glow and the feathers down his back lit up all the way down to the tips of his tail. As he lunged forward and opened wide, a pure beam of light erupted from his maw closing the distance to the slab in a split second.

The room filled with lights as the beam struck, instantly causing an explosion as the hyper condensed wave of flames hit mark. Dust and debris flying into the air, Adachi quickly closing his mouth and cutting off the flow of fire for fear of it continuing to go forward. Both Adachi, the teachers and other students looking to the impact point wanting to see what it had done.

The stone was cracked, splintered throughout with burn marks and a crater in the center a few inches thick. Showing how far his new fire could get through concrete in just a few seconds. The concrete slab was still sizzling hot and glowing faintly from the blue beam, "So your fire breath in this form has turned into more of a..." Ectoplasm thought for a moment, "Heat ray, interesting... By the way," He turned and looked over Adachi's body briefly, "You're going to need to see about adjusting your costume, it hardly fits this..."

Looking down at the rather oddly stretched lower half of his costume, Adachi had to agree. Considering his new changes he would likely need to think of an entire overhaul to his current gear! Looking back at Ectoplasm he nodded his head, _"I'll work out some of the details later, for now..."_

"Shift back to normal, I'd like to test some things at each of your stages."

Throughout the rest of their training session Adachi was putting both his base form and second form to work. Learning what he could about his abilities under Ectoplasm's teaching. Learning small things about his new bodies and giving him room to grow. Unfortunately from what he was learning there was hardly anything that amounted to a special move. Though as he explored his new abilities he began to put some of his own ideas together.

In base form, he could could cling to walls like a gecko with his hands and bare feet. A potent ability combined with his increased speed, making it clear he had more mobility and flexibility in this form. Though the most interesting thing he'd learned upon taking a few bumps and scrapes during training, was just how quickly his body was healing with no signs of fatigue.

Conversely, in his second stage he felt much slower but also more powerful. His jaw strength was incredibly and his massive tail seemed to have thicker hide than the rest of his form making an excellent bludgeoning tool. His teeth grew serrated as well, like they were meant to lock a target in place and prevent escape. And after a bit of testing, he learned that his hide was thicker in second stage than both his first and even his final form! He may have become slower but he was an absolute tank!

Though there was more Adachi wanted to learn, time was up for their class and they had to return to their other dorms for the remainder of the day. Trading off with Class 1-B so they could get training in as well. As they left the facility, Adachi was totally focused on reinventing himself now. Finding the best way to design his new costume before the summer was over and how to label his new forms...

 **. . .**

Adachi had gotten to work the night of their first training session. Scribbling down design ideas and pouring over the internet for information on reptiles. Particularly those that seemed closer to his own abilities. Even with these things in mind, it wasn't until the seventh day of their training that he'd figured out his new look and gotten things in order for himself.

"So I'm thinking, adaptive armor, is that possible?" Adachi questioned, looking up at Power Loader while standing in the middle of the support course workshop.

"Depends on what you mean by adaptive armor," He replied simply, "I can't make something that transforms if that's what you're asking, but armor that grows with your body is easy enough, accommodating your multiple forms and shapes is the tricky part."

"I have a few ideas for that actually."

Their conversation had been a few days prior, and now as Adachi approached stepped through the doors to the training area he was more eager than ever to put his new costume to the test!

"About time you got the new one!" Adachi nearly jumped, as Kirishima slapped a hand down on his shoulder from behind, "Was beginning to think you'd never get it done!"

Adachi laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head, "Heh, y-yeah right, I certainly cut it close." Internally cursing he wouldn't get the big walk in entrance reveal of his new suit.

The costume was totally different than the old one, his clothing consisting of nothing more than a pair of near skintight shorts made from the same material most his clothes were, the kind that would grow with his body. While his shins were guarded by metallic bracers, along with gauntlets of the same make wrapped around his forearms and hands.

"Gauntlets?" Kirishima blinked as he examined him, "But won't those be all messed up when you hit final form?"

"Not this time," Adachi smirked confidently, holding up a hand, "This time around I made sure they were made from steel wire alloy woven with carbon nanofibers, kinda like Mr. Aizawa's scarf," He explained, "So they'll stretch with my body, and adjust to the new shape easily enough so I can have a little extra protection."

"Good thinking," Kirishima nodded, "I suppose with your Quirk less is more huh? Anyways lets get in there and get to it!"

"Right!"

 **. . .**

"So rather than come up with a super move you'll be using your transformations to fulfill the role?" Midnight questioned, hands on her hips as she looked down at Adachi.

"That's what I'm thinking yeah, for now I think its the best choice while I'm still developing" Adachi nodded eagerly, "With training I'm focusing on transforming quicker, mainly because when I do transform I'm wide open to attack... So if I can switch between them quickly I'll be much more effective in combat."

"Interesting... And do these forms have set names yet?" Midnight asked, crossing her arms, "Something that people can recognize when they see you and in these states?"

"They do now! I did some research and based my first two forms on various reptile classifications," He explained, excitement flashing in his eyes, "My base form will be Skink, smaller lizards like geckos and chameleons, usually with the ability to pop off a tail to turn away predators!" He turned around suddenly and punched the nearest concrete wall, scraping up his bare knuckles before holding his hand up to Midnight, "My body regenerates a lot faster in this form, and since I can stick to walls I think it fits!"

She blinked in surprise, the skin on his knuckles already mending itself perfectly, "I like it, what else you got?"

Midnight took a step back as Adachi suddenly changed to his second form, growing taller than her and hunched over with his heavy jaw and thick muscles, "I call this form Croc! With my powerful tail, strong jaws and thick hide it was a pretty easy choice actually."

"Oooh very nice," Midnight nodded and smirked, "And what about your final form?"

"Now that it's gotten so much bigger and more monstrous I think Kaiju fits well enough," Adachi shrugged, turning back to normal, "What do you think?"

"Skin, Croc and Kaiju," Midnight thought about it for a moment and nodded, "Yes I think that'll do just fine, with how it changes your combat abilities so drastically that'll be perfect for a special move once you've mastered them, but remember that trying to master three different fighting styles won't be easy."

Adachi nodded with a grin as he changed back, "I know! And I'm ready to work as hard as I have to!"

 **. . .**

"Like a kinetic dampener or something!"

"That's a little more than I think we can put into a costume," Miki chuckled nervously, as Ryou stood over her bouncing excitedly, "Besides do you even know that the energy you're expelling is kinetic?"

"Well... No, but STILL!" Ryou threw her arms up into the air, "There has to be SOMETHING you can make me to help out with control!"

"Ahem," Power Loader coughed, "Support items can only do so much, if you can't control your quirk that is a matter of training."

Ryou's arms went limp at her sides as she pouted, "Yeah I guess so..." For the last few days she'd been butting heads with the Support Course, searching for an easy way to control the energy that leaves her body. At the end of the day though it seemed they couldn't help her.

"Sorry Ryou," Mikoto smiled faintly, "I could try whipping you up some shock absorbers or limb reinforcements maybe?"

Ryou shook her head, leaning against the nearest table and running a hand through her now shoulder length natural mohawk. Thinking to herself briefly as she crossed her arms, "My body isn't the problem... Its controlling this stupid energy, I'll never be able to fight at full power in a city without putting others in danger."

"S-Sorry I can't do more..." Miki trailed off nervously, fidgeting with her hands.

"What? No no you're great," Ryou assured with a smile, "I'll figure out my problems, this is a ME issue."

"Still I wish there was something I could do," She nervously rubbed the back of her neck, "Do you need anything else?"

"Weeeell..." Ryou blushed lightly, looking down at her hands, "There was something I thought of but I'm not sure..." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small piece of paper, "I'm thinking of changing my costume, to something a bit more..."

As Ryou handed her the paper, Miki opened it with her eyebrow quirked curiously before unfolding the paper and seeing the image hand drawn within, "Ryou this is... I had no idea you could draw so well!" Her eyes glimmering for a moment in awe, before she nodded her head, "Yeah, yeah I can definitely do this!"

Yes!" Ryou fist pumped, grabbing Miki, "You're the best! When will it be ready?!"

"Give me a few days," She answered, blushing lightly, "I can have it done in maybe two days!"

"Perfect! That'll give me just enough time to put it to the test!"

For Ryou the time went by fast, as she focused purely on her training and improving both her fighting style and power control. Finding a way to control her energy better wasn't something she could accomplish in just a few days, she knew that. So instead she focused perfecting what she could do right now, knowing that would be important in the Provisional Exam. But when she got the call that her costume was finished, she raced to get it so she could give it a test run.

After changing, she was on her way back to the training hall, clad now in a sleeveless high collared blue bodysuit. Accompanied by white gloves and boots as well as a belt holding up a small cape around her waist, the buckle was a big silver **M**. She had completely redesigned her hero appearance, wanting something that was closer to... Well-

"All Might?" Ryou came to a stop, spotting him by the door. He had a strange expression on his face, one of shock and... Maybe a hint of sadness? As he stared at her, "What's wrong?"

The scrawny former Hero hesitated to answer, digesting her appearance, "I just..." He couldn't find the words, _"She looks so much like-"_ Biting back the thought he shook it off as quickly as he could, putting on a smile once more, "I see you redesigned your costume, I like it."

Ryou smiled brightly, approaching him as she chuckled nervously, "Thanks, I kinda based it off of your silver age costume, just a little less detailed." She explained.

"Oh really?" All Might smirked as if it wasn't obvious, "I like the traditional Hero look, and I think it suits you well... You remind me a lot of an old teacher of mine." He admitted, the more he looked at her the more he felt better about Ryou taking on his masters visage even if she didn't realize it.

"Wow really!?" Ryou suddenly beamed, looking down at her outfit, "I just doodled this a while ago and thought it looked cool but that's awesome!"

"Though I have to ask, what does the M stand for?" He questioned curiously, pointing to her belt buckle.

"Oh that? Its for my hero Name!" Ryou declared, a proud smile on her face as she placed her fists on her hips holding her chin up high, "I'm the raw power Hero! Megaton!"

All Might couldn't help but chuckle, "I think that name fits you perfectly, both your power and your booming personality."

"Thanks!" She laughed at that, looking down at him, "I wanna be just like you, I know Midoriya is supposed to be your successor or something... But even the Number 1 Hero needs support!"

All Might nodded back to her, "I'm sure he will appreciate that... Why don't we get some dinner later, I wanted to talk about your training as well."

"Oh, really? Sure!"


	43. The Provisional License Exam

**Thank you everyone for the overwhelming response, but it comes as a bit bittersweet so before todays chapter I'd like to address some things.**

 **1\. I have all of the next arc written/in progress, and it will be somewhere between 8 and 12 chapters to cover the internship arc and its aftermath. However, once this is over I'll be going on break until more of the Manga comes out or maybe just until season 4 is mostly done with I'm not sure. Either way unless people would like to see me just jerk the wheel the go totally off the rails and into Fanfic AU territory that no longer perfectly follows that show, there will be a looooong break coming.  
**

 **2\. This more addresses a single concern that I hope not everyone has. I LOVE this story, its my first story on FF and I may not be the most proud of everything I did in the original and maybe even some stuff this time around but I do enjoy writing. When I say things like I'm writing for you guys I mean I want to know what you think, which leads me to the final point...**

 **3\. Why did it take dropping the notion I might be leaving to get any kind of actual feedback? Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not doing this because I want to stack review numbers and I certainly don't expect a real turnout on some chapters. But when the last 5 chapters combined don't get as many reviews as last weeks did it makes me think I've only got 2 people that actually care about the story. I know not everyone has time to say something, but saying literally ANYTHING is better than silence. I would rather you give me harsh criticism than not say anything at all XD. At the beginning of this story, this remake, I made it clear I wanted to hear what you had to say in molding the new adventure and I meant it. If you'd rather just sit back and enjoy the ride that's fine, but I'd like to know if what I'm doing is actually of interest to people...**

 **All that being said, I do appreciate all the nice things everyone said. It may sound silly but don't take for granted how uplifting hearing a few kind words can be.**

 **Anyways, that was a tangent, I've gotten everything off my chest that's been eating me so... Here we go, with an arc I wasn't particularly fond of!**

* * *

The remaining days they trained flew by quickly, and finally one fateful morning they were on the bus arriving at a large facility in a far away city. While everyone was hastened off the bus, Adachi felt a strange sensation in the air. Like the same sensation he had when his instincts were telling him he was in danger. While others of his class began chatting it up with some students from another major school, his eyes narrowed to slits and scanned over the rest of the those who passed by.

No... It wasn't just the students, there were teachers here from other schools giving them a look too. Though none of them were as straightforward as these kids from Shiketsu Academy. It was barely noticeable, just glances out of the corner of their eyes, looks Adachi remembered seeing before at both the Sports Festival, and the UA Entrance Exam.

 _"They're sizing us up."_ Adachi realized, looking back to his classmates, _"We've been all over TV, with everything going on we're in the spotlight... We might all be targets depending on how this exam works."_

Shortly after, they were sent to get geared up in their costumes and meet in a large hall. It seemed like they'd be wasting no time getting things started today, something Adachi was grateful for. Not long after getting ready, Adachi and the rest of Class1-A were crammed into the massive hall with hundreds of other students from around the country. At the far end atop a large platform with tables and mics were the committee that'd be overseeing the Provisional License Exam.

The person at the center, a rather exhausted looking older man began speaking, "Ahem, now then... If everyone is here we'll start getting things underway... Hello, my name is Mera with the public safety in heroics committee, and my favorite stage of sleep is non-rem sleep."

Adachi sweatdropped, _"What?"_

"I've been so busy with work I haven't gotten a wink of sleep! I'm so tired, too much work and NOT ENOUGH PERSONNEL!" He exclaimed suddenly, "I want to sleep!"

Adachi swallowed nervously in the following silence, "This guy might have a screw loose..."

"Anyways, allow me to explain the details of this exam." He went on back to normal as if nothing had happened, "Gathered in attendance today are precisely 1,543 Students, you'll all be fighting for Victory at once."

 _"Such a weird number,"_ Adachi noted, crossing his arms while struggling to see over the crowd, _"I guess it would be silly to think my class is the only one with an odd number of students."_

"In the present state of our so-named "Hero Saturated Society", there have been no shortage of voices raising doubt over the state of Heroics since Stain's appearance." Mera went on casually, "The idea that heroes shouldn't expect compensation, that the title of "Hero" should only come after acts of great self sacrifice... However, if you're asking me it seems a little unfair to expect someone going out and risking their life and saving others to not be allowed anything in return... Either way, whether it is for valor or material gain those who have applied themselves diligently and earned their title are adept at handling disasters and cleaning up villains quickly, crimes appear and are resolved quite swiftly in this day and age, those who want to earn these licenses must be swift when diving into that torrent of high speed action... And those who cannot keep up, will fail, harsh as that may be."

"So the name of the game is speed?" Adachi muttered curiously.

"As such, it your speed that will be tested!" He continued quickly, "And only the first 100 to pass will make the cut!" Earning a sudden uproar of shock from the hundreds gathered in attendance.

 _"Only... 100 students can advance!?"_ Adachi's eyes widened in horror.

"And the terms of the exam are as follows," A screen lip behind him floating high enough for everyone to see, "You will be given three patches that act as targets, you may place them wherever you want so long as they are clearly visible so no hiding on the bottom of your feet or in your armpit... You will all also receive six of these balls," He explained calmly, "Your objective is to knock out two other participants, by hitting all three of their patches with your balls or at least getting the final hit on their third patch, the first 100 to knock out two contestants will advance."

Adachi digested the instructions, mentally going over what he'd need to do in his head. _"With so many enemies it'll be difficult but I'm fast and well trained... I can do this, but I'm not sure about everyone else..."_

"We'll begin one minute after everyone has spread out across the facility." The walls suddenly began to shift, the hall they were in opening up and spreading into a massive fake city with various environments spread around them!

People began to move, heading out with their classes or trusted friends after being given their patches and balls. As they went, Adachi felt that same sensation again, many eyes darting to him in passing. He was starting to realize what was happening and his eyes narrowed to slits once more, _"No, its not just the class... I've got a huge bullseye on my back, because I was the star of the festival, how many of them are looking for the bragging rights of knocking me down?"_

"H-Hey wait!" Midoriya cried out as Bakugou took off on his own, "We should be working together!"

 _"Maybe,"_ Adachi thought for a moment as Midoriya kept talking, _"But if I can lighten everyone's load and draw away some of the others."_ He nodded slowly, "Sorry Midoriya, but I've got a plan!" Racing off on his own, down the streets in the open, making sure everyone could see him clear as day as he went, _"Everyone saw what I could do at the sports festival, they saw my form back then and think my power is some big hulking monster, they have no idea how much I've changed!"_

 **"BEGIN!"**

Adachi slowly came to a stop, panting lightly as he reached the center of the crossroads in the middle of the fake city. Eyes darting around, trying to find the first bit of movement in his direction. And bracing himself for whatever was to come.

And he didn't have to wait long, coming up the street another group of students was approaching. They looked like an entire class! Various costumes and people making their way towards him, "There he is, that kid who won the Sports Festival!"

"Pretty ballsy move coming out here all alone," Another boy smirked, "That UA Ego must be going right to your head!"

"Don't take him too lightly boys," The apparent alpha of the class said as he stepped forward. Dressed up in some kind of martial arts gi, he had a monkey like face with a lot of thick red fur around his body. But it was clear from his physique he was quite physically strong, "Can't get caught off guard by some UA tricks."

"More of a turnout than I expected honestly," Adachi finally answered them, smirking confidently, "But pushing limits is what makes us stronger, so bring it on!" He commanded with intensity, swelling up to his second form quickly, _"This is bad, I really didn't think there would be this many... Maybe I should run for it? Go full Kaiju and try scaring them off?"_

"He's already going all out, I'll take him head on!" The monkey boy declared, breaking into a dead sprint towards him, "Surround and take down! We'll chip away at these other schools one by one!"

"YEAH!"

And just like that, Adachi had a veritable horde rushing him down. He could see various Quirks among them, things like augmentation, mutations, elemental abilities. He'd have to find some kind of escape route or he'd likely be done for! And there was no way he'd go home from this exam a failure.

 _"Scare tactic it is! Let's separate the leaders from the followers in this class!"_ Adachi decided, smirking as he began to transform further, "You guys think I haven't improved since then!?" He declared, his deeper voice already getting more garbled and monstrous, "I'll show you all... **MY FULL POWER!"**

As he began growing in size, body changing beyond what any of these other young heroes had seen before they began to slow down. Eventually coming to a complete stop, each and every one staring up at him in a mixture of awe and fear. While the leading member turned around, looking back at his friends seeing that they weren't moving anymore.

"C-Come on guys! Its just one person!" He assured, turning back around, "We can take-"

 **"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"** Adachi unleashed his thunderous roar, aiming it at the boy before raising his head up high and allowing it to echo far into the skies above, effectively paralyzing those that stood before him.

They weren't experienced, they'd never seen a real monster like him face to face. And they were too focused on him, to notice a much more dangerous threat coming in. Though, even Adachi didn't see him coming, and was equally shocked when a wave of ice washed over them from nearby.

 **"Hnngh?"** He grunted, shifting eyes to Todoroki as he stepped out. Seeing as the class before him was immobilized, he began shrinking back down, "Todoroki!? What are you doing here!?" Adachi demanded.

"H-HEY! No fair!" A common cry among those who'd been frozen in place, struggling to break free.

"You looked like you could use some help," He shrugged simply, walking by the students and placing his balls on their patches to pass, "I'd suggest taking this opportunity."

Adachi blinked, "Oh right!" Running up quickly and tagging all the spots on one of the trapped students before moving towards the monkey boy, "Sorry about this." He chuckled nervously, planting the balls on two of his spots. His face was one of indignation, frustration and embarrassment as he realized he'd walked right into some kind of trap.

"Screw you... Bastard." He hissed through grit teeth as Torodoki finished up, "You preppy... UA... PIECE OF SHIT!" The ice around his body began to crackle and break away as his skin turned darker colored.

The feathers on Adachi's head stood on end, and out of reaction he jumped back as fast as he could. The ice around the boy exploded as he lunged for Adachi. The boys eyes were wide with shock, watching as his foe opened his mouth wide and released a vicious howl at him. The incoming fist was more than he'd been ready for, and sent Adachi tumbling across the ground.

"Yeah! Get him Ganta!" One of his frozen classmates cried.

Todoroki watched Adachi start to rise and took a step forward to help before-

"You've met your required score, please leave the field." The voice sounding from one of his patches.

"HAAAAAAH!" The monkey boy howled in rage, rushing Adachi again.

"Dammit..." Clenching fists wishing he could help.

"Don't worry!" Adachi called out to him, back stepping as fast as his legs would allow, "I've got this!"

Todoroki nodded slowly, not liking the idea of leaving him but didn't see any other options for this test, "Alright, you'd better not fail!"

Adachi jumped up as high as he could, clinging to a window as his mind raced, _"Crap, I've only got one ball left and hitting this monkey's last target is my only option unless I want to go looking for more trouble!"_

"WHERE IS YOUR MONSTER NOW UA BRAT?!" Ganta roared and lunged for him again, tearing up the street beneath him with the jump. "SHOW ME WHAT MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL!"

Adachi rolled out of the way, letting his enemy crash right through the window sending glass shards exploding into the air. "Hey I don't mean to point it out but I think you've got some serious anger issues!" He shouted back at the boy, swinging himself up and into the building, "But if you're looking to get a reality check I'm happy to oblige!" His muscles swelling and body growing as he shifted to Croc form once again.

They were in an office building, a floor with nothing but cubicles and surrounded on all sides by window walls so there was plenty of light. Ganta was picking himself up, having crashed through one of the cubicle sets on his way in. The monkey man quickly brushing dust and glass out of his hair, turning and glaring at Adachi with bloodshot eyes, "Grrr... UA brat... So arrogant, thinking you're better than me... I'm going to enjoy taking you DOWN!" Charging at him once more, his muscles swelling and fur growing thicker.

Adachi met him in the middle, the two slamming into one another and trying to overpower one another, _"This idiot has gone completely berserk! What kind of second rate training has he been doing? Is this anger part of his Quirk? Its like he's completely forgotten about the Exam!"_ Adachi grit his sharp teeth, turning over the apes hands and throwing him through a number of the cubicles causing even more destruction of the office space, "You know what, yeah... I do think I'm better than you, anyone that acts like this isn't fit to be a Hero!"

"AAAAGH!"

Adachi opened his mouth, unleashing a cone of blue fire that was only interrupted when Ganta slammed his jaw shut with an uppercut making Adachi stumble back. He started throwing punches over and over, but each one was getting duller than the last as Adachi's hardened hide absorbed the impact. Amid the flurry of blows, Adachi saw his opening and spun around slamming Ganta with his mighty tail smashing him through a nearby support column.

"You wanna know what makes me so special?" Adachi spat a bit of blood onto the floor, "What makes us at UA better?!" This time, he went on the attack, ramming right into Ganta and lifting him off his feet and carrying him through another row of cubicles, "Its because when we find an obstacle we can't overcome, we don't get angry, we don't forget who we are or back down!" Adachi braced himself, "WE GO BEYOND!"

From the streets below, the slowly thawing students from Ganta's class watched the boys explode out of the building. Raining down with shards of glass before slamming into the street below. Adachi driving Ganta into the asphalt while slamming the final ball on the patch located on his neck. The other students rushing over as Adachi stood up, slowly shifting back to normal.

"You've passed," The voice sounded from his pads, "Please head to the Anteroom."

Adachi nodded slowly, stepping off of Ganta as his classmates helped him up. The monkey had reverted to normal, but was still fuming by the look of it and refused to meet the eyes of his classmates. Adachi narrowed his eyes suddenly, looking back at him, "You're a second year right?" He asked, but didn't wait for a response, "You're supposed to be better than me, maybe you should try figuring out why you're not."

Rather than reply to the shouting that followed, Adachi made his way off the field...

 **. . .**

"Adachi!" The boy turned his head to the entrance, as Ashido rushed and dove at him, "We all made it!"

"Agh!" He yelped as she threw her arms around him, blushing deeply, "Y-Yeah I saw, that was pretty amazing what Aoyama did!" He laughed nervously, while getting a few looks from other students in the waiting area.

"And Kirishima too!? Awesome!" Ashido was completely beaming.

"Everyone from our class passed the first round," The fiery red head nodded with a toothy grin, "But they haven't made us change out of our costumes yet, so I think it's safe to say we aren't done here."

"So did you see any cool Quirks Adachi?" Mina asked eagerly, poking him to try and get a reaction.

To which the lizard boy rolled his eyes, "Well not really, I just ended up fighting a really angry monkey."

"What?"

"If everyone could please turn your attention to the screens," The man leading these tests spoke over their the speakers as screens lit up showing the area they'd been fighting in, "We'll be moving on to phase 2." A great eruption shook the anteroom, as buildings began to collapse and break apart in the fake city. Demolishing everything and breaking down into a terrible site of a great disaster, "This next part of the Exam will be the last! And you will all be conducting rescue operations as bystanders at the site of a major disaster."

Adachi swallowed nervously as he looked upon the destruction, eyes shifting to Ashido, "Hey... Doesn't this look a lot like the damage we saw to Kamino Ward?"

She nodded her head, "Yeah... Yeah it does."

"You will not be acting as citizens but as young heroes that have already secured a provisional license," He continued explaining, "This will be a test of your aptitude for rescue operations."

"Hnngh!" Shouji suddenly tensed up nearby, "There are people out there!"

"Say what!?" Satou added in, looking at the screens more closely, "Whoa you're right! A bunch of kids and old people!"

"They are actually in quite high demand," Mera stated simply, "As Pros at needing rescue, they are the staff of the Help Us Company, or HUC for short."

Adachi tilted his head, "That is the stupidest name I've ever heard..."

"You're one to talk, your hero name literally just means Lizard." Kirishima pointed out with a chuckle.

"Folks of the HUC are on standby and will be acting as casualties," Mera explained, "Your missions is to extricate them, and this time your rescue efforts will be graded via points, those of you who pass the watermark score will pass and receive your provisional licenses... The test begins in 10 Minutes, so prepare as best you can in that time."

As they settled into the short break, Kirishima returned to Kaminari and Bakugou. While Ashido fidgeted nervously, "Rescue huh? We haven't had much training in that regard, I wonder how they'll be scoring us..."

Adachi crossed his arms in thought, "I have a few ideas... Just based on what I've seen," He explained, "It's not much, but during the entrance exam, and during my internship with Ryukyu I got to see a bit of what its like for civilians caught up in Hero work... Its mostly just scary for them." He stated, smiling lightly, "Follow me, I'll lead us through this one!"

Ashido eyes lit up a bit, "R-Really? You think you can take the lead on this one?"

"I'm sure of it!" Adachi nodded, drawing a few eyes, "I helped Shiozaki save Shinso during the Entrance Exam, I protected Nagato during my internship, and after living with my Dad's condition I know all about back and neck injuries!"

"Then it seems you may be the key," Came the voice of Tokoyami as he approached, "I'll follow you, Adachi."

"Yeah sounds like an easy pass to me," Jirou added as she arrived as well, "I'll help you guys find the injured with my quirk."

Ashido nodded with excitement practically bouncing, "Alright! Let's pass this exam together!"

"THE VILLAINS HAVE UNLEASHED A TERRORIST ATTACK!" Mera suddenly shouted over the speaker, "The scope of the damage seems to be the entire city! There are an untold number of injuries in the field!." The building walls started to fall away just like before! "The damage to the roads is severe! Delaying first responders, it's up to you young heroes to begin search and rescue operations!"

Adachi immediately started rushing into the field, his classmates behind him, "Come on!"

"Save as many lives as you can! Even if its just one!"

"Locate any in the open that need help!" Adachi called out, "Jirou! While we work on saving those easier to reach, start searching for more that could be buried or trapped! Call out anyone you can find to nearby heroes!" He ran to a stop before an elderly woman who appeared to have her leg caught, "Ma'am, everything is going to be okay, how does your leg feel? Do you think it's broken?"

She looked up at him with a suspicious eye for a moment, _"He's barking orders like a professional, he's learned to keep calm and collected in crisis it seems."_ She noted, mentally tracking points, "I think it's just a sprain but I can't move it!"

"Here," He gripped the edges of the stone slab and began to lift it with a bit of effort letting her slide it out, "Tokoyami, use Dark Shadow to transport her back to the safe area!" Adachi ordered, eyes darting to another man nearby.

It felt like things were taking awhile but the rescues were just growing in number, no matter how many Adachi saved more people were in need of aid. This was likely part of the exam, and soon efficiency became the name of the game.

"We've got a lot of wounded but we're pretty far from the rescue zone," Jirou explained as Adachi approached, "We need a better way of transporting them!"

"Dammit..." Adachi muttered, before turning to the civilians with an idea already in mind, "I'm going to do something to make it easier to safely transport you, it may seem scary but I promise you'll all be safe, do you understand?"

A few looked between each other, knowing exactly what he might be planning. The fact he addressed them first meant he was aware of how scary he could be, saving him some points, "Please just get us out of here!"

"Alright." Adachi nodded, stepping back a good distance before he began to transform. Growing rapidly in size, maybe forcing it a bit quicker than usual to save some time. All it would cost in the long run was some stamina. As he reached full height and form, he resisted that urge to roar so he didn't scare them. Instead, he laid down on his stomach and looked to the others.

"Alright come on let's start moving them onto his back!" Jirou urged, picking up on what he was thinking. And it wasn't just her, other students from different schools that had been working in the area were bringing over their wounded as well. Loading them up onto Adachi's back, while a few of the young heroes joined the ride as well to help keep them secure.

Adachi rose up slowly, before taking off towards the safe zone. His movements were maybe a little bumpy, but he was extra careful not to make any strides too long. By the time he arrived, he began using his split tail to put down the injured safely while some of the students aided as well. The moment they were clear, he raced back out into the field.

But just as he arrived and they began loading him up, an explosion sounded near the rescue area!

"The villains responsible for this attack have reappeared! All Heroes on scene please suppress the villains while also continuing rescue operations!"

 _"Dammit they really want to make us sweat huh?"_ Adachi internally grumbled, _"I could charge to the scene, but maybe I'm better off helping here? I'll at least clear this area first."_ As they continued loading him up with the remaining injured, blasts of fire, wind and ice were raging near the entrance site, _"Todoroki must be there, but where is that wind coming from?"_

"Alright that's everyone!" Ashido said, tapping Adachi's leg, "Get them to safety!"

"We shall join the battle," Tokoyami added, "We'll see you there Adachi!" Before the two began racing off towards the scene of the fighting together.

Not wasting any time, he began making his way back towards the medical area that had been set up. It was already flooded with those who'd been brought in along with the rescue workers trying to patch up fake injuries. They had definitely gone out of their way to make it all seem real.

While others helped unload the wounded from his back, his eyes drifted towards the area people were fighting. Other young Heroes were on their way now that rescue operations were finishing up, but all he could see of the battle from here was a massive flaming tornado!

 _"Is that Todoroki? I didn't know he could make his fire move like that."_ He thought.

As the last person was removed from his back, someone nearby taking note of everyone brought in nodded. "Alright, that's everyone!"

Adachi's head snapped around to her, as he slowly began changing back to normal, _"What?"_

"Send the word in, this portion of the Exam is over!"

Adachi waved his hands frantically, "W-Wait but I hardly got to do anything!"

 **. . .**

"She's almost ready for a test run, but her body isn't developing the way we predicted..."

"That is putting it mildly, she's supposed to be our new Symbol... A motherly figure watching over the world! Not some... Monster."

"All that truly matters is her effectiveness, even if she is a Failure, the experience she earns will be invaluable in the next model."

 _"... Failure..."  
_


	44. Welcome to Villain Combat 101

**Weslyschraepen: Well I guess they all probably like "Know" at this point lol even if Adachi has never straight up said it, Kirishima definitely knows and Ashido probably talks to the other girls about it.**

 **To everyone who's started reviewing and letting me know what you think. THANK YOU! This upcoming arc is one I'm incredible proud of and I can't wait to get it all out to you. Once all the chapters are officially finished I may start posting them in quicker schedule like every few days. To give you an idea I started working on chapter 49 just last night, and each chapter is no shorter than 4000 words so its a pretty meaty arc.**

 **And I'm only at the halfway point of it story wise :D**

 **Anyways, I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to Raidentensho who suggested the main portion of this chapter a loooong time ago.**

 **And before we get to that, its mostly fluff so try not to read too much into anything ;3**

* * *

"Should I go with most of the old design or maybe something entirely new?"

"Just do what feels natural, and don't hurt anyone too badly if you can help it." Kento chuckled, relaxing in his chair as Shisui excitedly spoke over the phone, "I'm still surprised you took the job... Or maybe that it was offered."

"Well with my expertise I was an obvious choice for this crucial task!" She answered in the most grand standing way possible.

"Sure it isn't because you're the only "good" villain they have available?"

"Can't you just let me have this?"

Kento's following laughter was interrupted as his phone buzzed, "Oh? Its a message from Kaiji."

"Yeah I got it to..."

"He passed his Provisional License Exam!" Kento read the message as a proud grin spread across his face, "That's wonderful, I'll have to call him later once he's back at the Dorms!"

"We can do it together, I'll be home soon and I'm picking up take out!"

"Not feeling up to cooking tonight?"

"This is a celebration! You don't want burnt food on a celebration do you!?"

Her enthusiasm drew another chuckle from the retired hero, "Well at least you know you're terrible at it... Anyways, I'll let you go, drive safe."

"You too."

"What?"

"Uh... Bye!"

As she hung up, Kento blinked and looked at his phone, "Huh..." His thoughts slowly drifting to his son, and the ever growing pride in his chest, _"One big step closer..."_

But those thoughts were interrupted as the doorbell rang, Kento quirked a confused eyebrow. He certainly wasn't expecting any visitors today, and there was no way Shisui could be back already. He tentatively moved towards the door, wheeling his chair up to it before undoing the lock and pulling it open.

"Can I help you?" His eyes met hers, a woman he'd seen on the TV multiple times a few weeks back when Kaiji was interning with Ryukyu, "You... You're-"

The suit clad woman extended a hand to him, "Nagato Kibari, if you've got the time Mr. Adachi I'd like to speak with you about your condition."

 **. . .**

Later that day, everyone was back in their dorms at Heights Alliance. Many with their licenses in hand, aside from Todoroki and Bakugou who had failed their exam by a narrow margin. Adachi was glad he'd gotten his but didn't really have any doubts, but there were still things bothering him as he kicked back and relaxed idly munching on some celebratory cookies provided by Satou. Though Adachi was happy to have passed, he couldn't get his mind off that other student.

 _"That UA Ego must be going right to your head!"_

 _"UA brat... So arrogant, thinking you're better than me..."_

It was bugging the hell out of him, _"Are UA students really looked at with such disdain by lower class schools?"_

He shook his head trying to take his mind off things when he spotted Tokoyami walking by. He saw the bird boys feathery hair was freshly cleaned, he must have just showered. Adachi's own feathers twitched a bit as a thought came to mind. The words escaping his lips perhaps sooner than his brain could process whether or not it was a good idea to say them.

"So, how do you wash your feathers?"

 _"WHY WOULD YOU ASK HIM THAT!?"  
_

Tokoyami stopped dead in his tracks, turning his head slowly to look at Adachi, "What?"

"I-I mean-"

"Heeey Adachi!" Coming to the rescue like a true Hero, Ashido poked her head out around the corner, "Up for a walk? I'm restless and wanna get some fresh air!"

"THAT sounds like a great idea!" Adachi exclaimed standing up quickly, walking past Tokoyami and towards the door, "Come on lets get to it no need to waste any time haha!"

Ashido didn't argue, following him outside while Tokoyami was left standing there in confusion.

The two walked along outside the front of their dorm building, Adachi stretching his arms out and taking in a deep breath, "Aaah... Thanks for the save."

"Save from what?"

"Just me putting my foot in my mouth again..."

Earning a short laugh from the pink haired girl, "Yeah no problem, I just wanted to check in, see how you're doing." She added with a smile.

"Oh, well I'm fine, thanks." Adachi nodded in response, returning the smile as they walked, "Though I've gotta ask, what's your reason for asking this time?"

Ashido shrugged, hands folded behind her head, "Just felt like asking, you haven't been injured in awhile so I figured you might be getting restless."

Her teasing was not lost on him, but he nudged her lightly as he chuckled, "Very funny, maybe you should be a comedian instead of a hero?"

"Why not both?" She asked with a grin, coming to a stop slowly as she looked out over the fields on campus, "But seriously, you don't look like someone who just passed a seriously tough exam, and you've got that "I'm thinking too much" look, so what's up?"

Adachi blinked, coming to a stop as well, "I have a look when I do that?"

"Yes, and its usually funny to watch," Ashido poked jokingly, "But this time I can't even imagine what might be bugging you so I'm worried."

Earning a nervous laugh from the scaly boy, "Thanks, but its nothing really... Its a little thing that's been bothering me for awhile now."

"Ha! I knew it!" She grinned, grabbing him by the hand, "Alright, over to the bench and sit! Let's talk about it!" She urged practically dragging him.

He didn't put up any resistance, "You're certainly happy to find out I have problems, should I be worried?"

"Of course not!" Ashido replied quickly, "I'm here to help you talk out a problem! Who cares if Jirou owes me a few hundred yen for being right?"

"Wait what?"

"No more distractions! Talk about your feelings Kaiji!"

Adachi sighed slouching his shoulders, "Alright alright, its just that with the Exam today we're getting closer to actually being licensed Heroes," He explained, taking a seat on the nearest bench she'd dragged him to, "And I'm still not even sure what kind of hero I want to be..."

Ashido quirked an eyebrow at that, "I'm not sure I get what you mean, when we were picking hero names you said something about being simple and straightforward right?"

"Yeah but... That was just for the name," He shrugged, sighing as he leaned back against the bench, "All Might said at the Sports Festival that some Heroes never figure it out... That being a Hero is just an every day job but... I want it to be more than that," Adachi added, staring up into the evening sky, "I want to be something to people, not a Symbol of Peace like he was but... I don't know, I can't say for sure whether I am aiming for the top, trying to prove myself or just doing it to protect people."

Mina frowned slightly, he really sounded like he was having trouble. And despite being his closest friend, she couldn't think of an answer for him. Her own eyes drifted up to the sky as well, "I guess... I don't know either, you've certainly got options, with your skills I mean... Maybe it'll be obvious in time?" She suggested, before leaning herself against him with a smile, "If it makes you feel any better, you are something to me... And the rest of our class." She added, trying to brighten his mood.

His own smile returned faintly, "Heh, thanks... I should be more like you honestly, I spend too much time thinking myself to death."

"Are you saying I don't think?" She asked, fingers tightening slowly into a fist.

"Well- OW!"

 **. . .**

The next morning started with a shock to everyone, as they learned about Midoriya and Bakugou getting into a fight. The two were stuck on house arrest for the time being, while everyone else was taken to the opening ceremony. Principal Nezu addressed the classes all at once, talking about what had happened over summer break and the loss of All Might as a pillar of society. He went on to address the upper class students and how they should behave on their internships.

After it was all over, the students were to resume their classes as per normal on the first day back. Summer break was officially over, and it was time to get down to business!

"Starting today, we'll be resuming our normal classroom activities." Aizawa explained casually, standing before the class for the first time in awhile at the podium, "I know everyone here has been through a lot, but take this opportunity to renew yourselves, to help you reach your full potential." He set down the small book he was holding, "Despite today's activities being limited to a classroom lecture, your next stage of training will be harder than any before."

Adachi sweatdropped a bit, _"I honestly wouldn't mind some normal classes after that wild summer break..."_

"Something you need to say Ashido?" He asked suddenly, eyes glowing and hair lifting.

Adachi blinked in surprise as Mina jumped, _"I didn't even hear her, Mr. Aizawa is insane!"_

"Eheheh, y-yes sir I was just wondering," She stammered out nervously after being caught chatting, "Are we going to talk about those Internships Principal Nezu mentioned in his speech?"

"Yeah I was kinda interested in that too." Sero added, looking to the other students.

"Would it be like the ones we did before?" Tokoyami added.

Aizawa sighed and scratched the side of his head, "I was planning to tell you all eventually but... Maybe its more logical you find out sooner rather than later," He reasoned, closing the book before him, "To put it simply, they're hero activities performed off campus... Think of it as a more formalized, long term version of your previous internships."

"Oh wow," Uraraka chimed in, "I didn't expect UA to have a system like that in place... Wait," Something seemed to click in her head, "IF WE WERE GONNA DO THIS ANYWAYS WHAT WAS THE POINT OF STRESSING OUT OVER THE FESTIVAL!?" She exclaimed in shock.

 _"True, a lot of us did agonize over standing out for pro heroes, but there is a reason for that."_ Adachi noted, remembering something his Father had mentioned before, "It was to make connections," He spoke up before Aizawa could reply to her, drawing eyes to himself, "My Dad said making connections before you go pro is really important... I imagine getting a foot in the door somewhere before these long term internships came up will make finding a place to go a lot easier."

"That is exactly right," Aizawa nodded his head, "So I hope you all made a lasting impression." His eyes scanning for those who knew they might not have done so, "And these internships won't be connected to school work at all, and are to be handled fully at the students discretion along with your normal classes."

Ochako lowered her head, "Sorry I jumped to conclusions."

"Those of you who have acquired provisional licenses are eligible for these long term internships," Aizawa continued after giving her a small nod, "Normally first years are rare in earning their licenses this early, but with the rise in villainous activity a lot of things are changing... I'll explain more at a later time, along with what steps we'll be taking together, for now I have things to attend to."

"SO IT'S TIME FOR CLASS!" Present Mic exclaimed while exploding in through the door, "My return to the stage!"

Adachi sighed and looked towards the window as Present Mic took over and Aizawa left, _"Connections huh? Well, I guess Ryukyu did say I could come back any time... I guess she'll be my best bet."_ He decided internally, _"Though I should probably wait to find out more before jumping to a choice..."_

 **. . .**

"We're going to be waiting for Midoriya to get off House Arrest to proceed with the Internship lecture," Aizawa explained as the students entered training ground Beta. Everyone was already costumed up and ready to go, "So today, I thought we'd do something a little different." It was their third day back and it seemed like Hero training was on the menu for class, it was too bad Midoriya and Bakugou would miss out but at least Midoriya only had one more day of house arrest left.

"If we're in ground beta does that mean more combat training?" Iida questioned curiously.

"We haven't really done combat training in awhile I guess," Kirishima added, rolling his shoulders a bit, "Just intense Quirk training..."

"I said it would be different didn't I?" Aizawa answered in a bored tone, "Really, this is a bit of a pet project of mine that I had to run by Principal Nezu over your summer break... It's not often we get an opportunity like this."

They were nearing the center of the fake city streets, "An opportunity like what?" Hagakure asked confused.

He didn't answer her, instead coming to a stop and pulling out a communicator, "Whenever you're ready."

"Who is he talking to?" Kaminari asked looking just as confused.

"Maybe one of the other teachers is here too?" Satou chimed in.

A loud metal crunch sounded not far away, as Aizawa suddenly spoke up, "Today's training is going to be unlike anything you've done before, in an effort to better prepare you for what you might face during your internships."

"LOOKOUT!" Yaoyorozu suddenly cried, as she and several others spotted a large object flying through the air towards them.

The entire class scattered, as a pickup truck came crashing down in the middle of the street. All eyes darting around looking for the source while Aizawa stood by casually, "It came from the next street over!" Shoji called out, his sensory Quirk at work, "Someone else is moving towards us."

"That's a good quirk you've got there!" All eyes were drawn to the source, as a woman clad in a green armored vest with a flowing black cape behind her stood atop a nearby roof. She wore a black iron mask that held the visage of a dragon skull, her piercing green eyes glowing beneath it while horns sprouted from the back of her head through her long jade green hair. While her lower half was clothed in simple baggy pants and combat boots, and her arms were guarded by black metal braces, but her hands themselves had morphed into razor sharp reptilian claws, "A strong sensory type!"

Kirishima swallowed nervously, "H-Hey Adachi... That's not who I think it is... Is it?"

The boy was staring up at her in mild horror, "This... Is going to be a rough day..."

"Well what are you standing around for?" Aizawa questioned sharply, "You've got a villain standing right there, so get to it! You've got Forty-Five minutes to capture her," His eyes darted up to Shisui, "Don't you dare hold back on them."

The woman laughed beneath her iron mask, "Of course! What kind of an amateur do you take me for?!"

But just as she finished speaking, Todoroki unleashed a tidal wave of ice towards her. Engulfing much of the building she stood on and hiding her from view, "One that lets her guard down, evidently..."

"Dude you just iced my Mom!" Adachi exclaimed, hands on the sides of his head.

"Oh come on Adachi!" The voice sounded from behind them all, on the opposite rooftop, as Shisui stood there with two dragon-like wings sprouting from her back "You've gotta have a little more faith in me than THAT!" She lunged at them finally, moving with inhuman speed she landed right before her son, her glowing eyes burning into his own.

Adachi began to raise his arms to protect himself but he wasn't thinking clearly. Knowing who it was beneath the mask, he couldn't just- "GAH!" Eyes bulging, nearly losing his lunch as she drove a mighty fist into his stomach and sent him crashing into Todoroki's wall of ice.

"Adachi!" Ashido cried out, before turning her wrath on Shisui and unleashing a spray of acid.

"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami commanded, his companion lunging for Shisui.

"She's surrounded!" Todoroki added, "Catch her now!" A smaller, more controlled wave of ice racing across the ground towards her as well.

"I'm on it!" Sero chimed in launching his tape to bind her.

"NNNNNOPE!" The asphalt beneath her feet was cracked and broken inward as she launched herself into the air above them, dodging their attacks and nearly causing Dark Shadow to be buried beneath ice and tape, "You'll have to be faster than that!" Flipping through the air with her wings folded in, she landed further down the street with surprisingly grace, _"This is GREAT! It's been so long since I could cut loose!_ " Grinning from ear to ear beneath her mask, _"I'm glad I had time to get back in shape though, that ice boy is no joke."_

"She's crazy fast," Jirou stated nervously, "If only Midoriya or Bakugou were here... We need some way to get the drop on her!"

"Hit her with a sonic blast," Iida ordered, taking a deep breath and bracing himself, "Just give me an opening, but be careful we still aren't sure what she is capable of!"

"Right!" Kirishima nodded as his body hardened, "Come on Satou let's beat her down! Pave the way for us Jirou!"

Shisui watched in with a smirk as Jirou unleashed her sonic blast. Taking up the whole center of the road as it raced towards their enemy, while Satou and Kirishima charged along the sidewalks towards her. Bracing herself, she took the blast head on, sliding back on her heels before the boys attacked putting her on the defensive with their flurry of punches, attempting to overwhelm her.

Aizawa watched the fighting continue to escalate, silently judging her performance more so than the students, _"I was afraid about how she would act having to fight her own son but..."_ Eyes drifting towards Adachi as Mina helped him to his feet, _"That wasn't an issue... She certainly hasn't lost a step, her combat sense is impressive, but there's something else..."_ He watched her movements carefully, the way she reacted to Kirishima and Satou as they relentlessly attacked her.

"Recipro BURST!" Iida took his opening, while Shisui was distracted he blasted off down a separate street. Using the few vital seconds he had to race around the side and come at her from a different angle.

"TOO SLOW!" Shisui cried, catching Satou's arm and using him as a bludgeoning tool to send Kirishima flying through a store window before discarding the muscular boy with another throw.

"Why don't you try THIS SPEED!" Iida cried, attacking from behind with a mighty kick, aiming high to knock her out in an instant.

"Gah!" She gasped as the blow struck the back of her head. Sending Shisui slamming head first into the ground, her body going still as Iida stopped beside her.

His eyes quickly darted to Kirishima and Satou, "Good work, the distraction worked out perfectly!" He said with relief, looking to the others as well, "Sero! Hurry over and bind her, but don't let your guard down or-" His words hitched as he felt a hand grip around his ankle.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you," The amusement in Shisui's voice had all but vanished, "It's rude to hit a lady."

"AAAAGH!" Iida cried out in pain, as with a sharp squeeze his armor on the leg of his costume bent inward and crushed his lower leg putting immense pressure and pain on the engine and his ankle. Tenya stumbled away, gripping the limb as he fell back on his butt, _"Gnngh! I-It's not broken, but with the armor crushed inward I won't be able to-"_ His thoughts were silenced, as a swift knee to the face smashed the front his helmet to pieces.

"IIDA!" Several of the students cried as he fell back on the ground unconscious, nose and upper lip bleeding.

Shisui slowly turned her glowing eyes on the rest of them, "Now then... Who's next?"

"AAAAGH!" Satou roared as he downed a few packets of sugar, buffing up and charging her. He threw a powerful punch that she dodged by backstepping, his fist blowing a hole in the street.

Kirishima followed up, attacking from the flank with a punch of his own. Taking her off guard and landing a blow to the side of her face, "I don't care if you are Adachi's Mom nobody hurts one of OUR friends and gets away with it!"

She re-balanced on the backfoot, spinning around and throwing another mighty blow of her own, "Hnngh?!" Her eyes widened, fist striking Kirishima's jaw with a jarring impact. But the boy didn't budge, his skin having hardened beyond anything she'd seen him do before, "You've certainly improved Red." She offered with amusement in her voice, before suddenly delivering a blow worse than any Kirishima had felt before.

Striking him right between the legs.

The boy collapsed to his knees, gripping his damaged manhood and toppling over.

"But maybe you should remember to harden, _all_ of your vital areas next time." She noted, before her eyes darted back up to Satou. Before the boy could rush her again, she opened up her mouth and breathed in deep, exhaling a wave of jade green flames that enveloped the young hero.

"Isn't this getting a little out of hand!?" Uraraka questioned worriedly, as Satou collapsed from his burns temporarily stunned.

"You think a real villain is going to take it easy on you?" Aizawa questioned sharply, "This is exactly why she is here, to make sure you understand just what you are going to face out there, you've all seen it before and faced it, so why haven't you learned anything?" He demanded, "She is the enemy, and if you don't take her seriously, she is going to pick you apart! Stop thinking of this as training or you'll never succeed!"

Todoroki grit his teeth, looking to the blue lizard boy nearby, "Adachi! She's your Mom, what do you know about her Quirk?"

The boy rubbed his stomach, ribs having slowly healed, "It's called Dragon Aspect, kinda like Ryukyu's Quirk, but more condensed, rather than taking on the form of a dragon she can take on all of a dragons physical abilities, super strength, durability, breathing fire evidently, that's all I know."

"I'm done waiting!"

"Here she comes!"

"If we work together we can take her down COME ON!"

 **. . .**

 **Thirty-Eight Minutes Later**

 **. . .  
**

"Times up." Aizawa said, sounding bored as usual, "Looks like you failed, I'm honestly surprised."

The fake city center looked like a warzone, with various students scattered around it. Many of them badly beaten, battered and exhausted. The lucky ones were those who'd been knocked out quickly, while those she'd let remain awake were taken to their limits and back. Various medical bots were already arriving on the scene to collect those who needed help walking, and get them to Recovery Girl.

Sero was hanging from a lamp post by his own tape. Mineta had a few of his purple balls stuffed in his mouth. Jriou's earphone jacks were in knots. While Todoroki was exhausted but pretty much uninjured.

Shisui herself was pretty badly beaten and exhausted, blood running from her forehead and down her right arm where Yaoyorozu had managed to graze her with that cannon. Her mask had been busted a while ago, and her hair was singed from Todoroki's fire. Her quirk had hit its limit some time during the fighting from overuse, and she was forced to resort to a brutal, underhanded fighting style to keep them off of her. A fighting style that resulted in a lot of low blows and dirt in their eyes.

But over all, she looked quite satisfied with her handy work.

"Aaaah this was fun, can't wait for next time." She chuckled, masking her own exhaustion.

"Dude your Mom is insane." Kirishima grunted, leaning on Adachi for support as they limped from the battlefield. Ashido being taken via stretched beside them, after being knocked out cold by one of Shisui's punches.

"You're telling me," He scoffed, broken tail dragging on the ground as they went, "Certainly shows the difference between us and a highly trained villain though... We've got a long way to go don't we?"

"I guess so..."

"We're done for today," Aizawa said, "Once everyone has visited Recovery Girl feel free to return to your dorms and recuperate." Before he turned his attention to Shisui herself, "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to hold them off as well as you did, let alone win." The two walking together out of earshot of the students.

Allowing Shisui to show her true colors as she leaned against a wall for support, "Holy SHIT Eraser!" She exclaimed, holding her stomach, "I think **_I_** need to see Recovery Girl, those kids are insane! I don't think I ever had such a hard fight even when I WAS a criminal! What on earth are you teaching them!?"

"Not enough apparently," He answered with a faint smirk, "But I have a feeling you'll do better next time, and so will they, maybe once a week we'll give this a try until they can actually catch you, but you'll be facing Class 1-B tomorrow."

"Uuugh once a week? Shit," She sighed heavily, stretching herself a bit to shake away the pain, "Looks like I've got to keep training too, I'm not about to be out done by some brats!" She declared, fire rising in her voice again as she steeled herself and stood up tall.

Aizawa watched her for a moment, sighing and shaking his head, "You know, I was worried about your ability to be professional if you'd have to fight your son."

She quirked an eyebrow, looking to him and smirking, "Guess I proved you wrong huh?"

"No, now I see I shouldn't have expected you to be professional at all."

"HEY!"


	45. Big Three, Choosing Internships!

**I'm glad everyone liked Adachi's mom lol that was a really fun thing to write :D**

 **This will be the final transitory chapter into the next Arc, and you should be able to pick up on exactly where things are going pretty quick. Nothing special this time around, just some table setting and preparation for the big things to come.**

 **Enjoy and have a great day :D**

* * *

Two days later, with everyone patched up and one of the two students finished with House Arrest, class was going to finally get back on track. Midoriya himself seemed more eager than ever, fired up beyond anything Adachi had seen. Those three days off must have really been boring...

"Now that Midoriya has returned, we'll talk more formally about the internships." Aizawa stated calmly, standing before the podium, turning his head to the door.

 _"Right to it I guess."_ Adachi noted mentally, fiddling with a pencil.

"Come on in," He said suddenly and the door slid open, "Lets hear from those with first hand experience, how these internships will differ from what you did before." Three figures filed in, a tall fit boy with blonde hair and a weird face. Another boy who was slouching his shoulders and-

"Nejire?" Adachi blinked in surprise.

"Adachi?" Her eyes darted to him, "Ooooh my gawd what happened to your cute face!?"

Adachi laughed nervously, "It's a long story..."

"You know her?!" Kaminari and Mineta exclaimed nearly pouncing on him for answers.

"Cute?" Ashido repeated, crossing her arms and giving Adachi a suspicious look.

"Oh that's right," Aizawa scratched the back of his head, "Adachi did work with Ryukyu, the same place Nejire is interning... Well, back to the formal introduction," He continued, clearing his throat, "These three have taken time out of their busy schedules for you all so please listen to what they have to say, these three third year students rank among the top in all of UA," He explained calmly, helping get the attention off of poor Adachi, "They're known as the Big Three."

"Ooh I've heard of them." Jiro said aloud.

"Now then, why don't you three give us a brief introduction." Aizawa suggested, looking to them, "Starting with you, Amajiki."

The boy with the messy hair, his sharp features suddenly tensing up as his eyes turned dangerous. Stunning the class for a moment, such an imposing presence with just a single glance. Before he stopped completely, and turned away, "It's no good Mirio, Hadou... No matter how hard I try to envision them as potatoes only the head changes, it's like I'm still talking to people... I can't do this, the words won't come out!"

Hadou laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "You know I hear that's called being "Chicken Hearted" isn't that funny?" Before addressing the class, "This guy is Tamaki Amajiki the Chicken, and I'm Nejire Hadou!" She introduced eagerly, "We've come here to talk to you all and explain the big Internships!" She explained, her eyes drifting over the class, "But, but..." Landing on Shoji, "Hey hey! What's up with the mask? Did you catch a cold or is that the latest fashion!?"

The multi armed hero blinked, "Well, actually when I was younger-"

"And you're Todoroki right!?" Nejire moved on with her questions without a second thought, "What's up with that burn on your face?"

The boy was surprised by the blunt question, "Well... I-"

"And Ashido if your horns break do they grow back?" She continued, "Can you move them? Mineta, are those balls your hair? How do you cut it?"

"She's kind of an airhead..." Kaminari muttered with a chuckle, "Its kinda cute."

Ashido nodded, "Yeah she's like a kindergartner..."

"No matter who I look at you're all piquing my interest and I just have so many questions!"

Aizawa sweatdropped, looking to Mirio, "I see you're all lacking any form of rationality..."

"Please do not worry Eraser Head!" The blonde haired boy assured giving a thumbs up, "I am the key performer here today after all!" Before stepping up to take charge of the situation, "The journey ahead..." Trailing off with a hand to his ear, as if waiting for something. After a moment of silence he continued, "You're supposed to say, "Will be full of difficulties!" He explained, "Alright, you all completely fail at grasping the point of this conversation!"

There was growing discontent in the classroom.

"For third years these guys are kinda weird..."

"Definitely not what I expected from the Big Three."

"They certainly don't invoke that presence with their manner..."

Mirio nodded his head, "Alright I can see you've all got no clue what's going on, we're here talking about internships that aren't even required and you've got to sit there and listen to third you students you've never even met and just suddenly appeared, I get it, you're all confused." He said calmly, the tone shifting suddenly from the goofiness of moments before, "You all earned your provisional licenses as first years yes? That's pretty rare, you're quite an energetic class aren't you?"

Aizawa sighed heavily, "You don't know the half of it..."

"Hmm, well then it seems my intro fell completely flat..." Mirio said simply, "So, how would you all like to team up... And fight against me!?" Earning even more confused looks as his eyes darted to Eraser, "What do you say? I think the best way to display our "Experience" is to make them feel it in their bodies!"

"Do as you like."

 **. . .**

"So uh, are you serious about this?" Sero asked, watching as Mirio stretched.

They had all been moved to Cementos' training room, and had changed into their gym uniforms. Nejire and Amajiki stood nearby to watch. Well, Nejire was watching, while Amajiki faced the wall.

"Oh I'm dead serious!" Mirio answered simply, as he continued stretching.

"What is this guys deal?" Adachi muttered, trying to figure him out, _"He must be pretty strong to think he can take us all on at once..."_

"So by your attitude," Kirishima said suddenly, smirking with excitement, "I'm guessing you think we're just a bunch of small fries huh?"

"That's right!" Mirio replied instantly, "So lets go! Come at me with everything you've got, who's first?"

Several of the boys called out in response, wanting to take him on and get the first taste of his power. While Adachi narrowed his eyes, remaining back with the others and watching, _"Something isn't right about this, he's definitely goading our class, doesn't anyone else see that?"_ Quirks were activating all around him, everyone was getting ready to attack at once. There was something about that look in his eyes though, like Mirio was analyzing them all at once, _"I'll hang back with the others, and test the waters for now."_

He joined in the other rangers, feathers lighting up as he as prepared some of his fire bolts.

"Our troops will lay siege all at once!" Kirishima declared with confidence, body hardening, "You want to teach us Mirio? Then show us what you can do!"

And so the attack began, as Midoriya lunged for him with blinding speed. Crossing the distance as Mirio's clothes began to phase through his body and hit the ground. Just as Midoriya's fist made contact it passed right through his body!

"Right to the face huh?" Mirio asked, completely ignoring the incoming projectiles. But just like the fist, they went right through him!

Adachi blinked and he was gone, "Where did he-"

"I suppose I'll start by taking out the ranged ones!" Mirio's voice sounded right behind them and he knew his theory was correct.

As fast as he could, Adachi began to transform while turning around, "GET DOWN EVERYONE!" He commanded in the fraction of a second he had, opening his maw and unleashing a wave of blue flames. But he wasn't reckless, he knew his friends would need space to cover so he aimed high hoping to use Mirio's superior height against him.

"You're pretty smart," The voice sounded directly above him, "Hiding in the backline to protect your ranged team mates, but I know what you're capable of Kaiji Adachi!" He fell right through him as Adachi aimed his maw upward and shot more flames.

"Ngh! D-Dammit where did he-"

The boy was silenced, as Mirio appeared out of the floor with a terrifying uppercut. Lifting Adachi's large body right off the ground, "I knew I'd need a bit more momentum to knock you out, and your scales are a bit softer on the underside eh?"

Not that Adachi could even answer him, as he hit the ground like a ton of bricks knocked completely unconscious by the incredible force of Mirio's punch.

 **. . .**

It was evening on campus, as Ryou sat in front of the small computer in her room scrolling through a page with information on a certain district...

"Hey Ryou!"

"Agh!" She yelped, quickly closing the tab and looking to the door as Kendo and Tokage opened it up, "H-Hey, what's up?" She asked putting on a forced smile.

"Dinner is almost ready and you haven't helped at all, so we're gonna put you on dish duty tonight!" Tokage explained with a grin.

"But I usually do ALL the cooking!" Ryou pouted.

"And you were slacking today so you must be punished!" The green haired girl laughed, poking fun at her friend.

But Kendo could tell something was up, "Yeah alright sure whatever..." Ryou sighed slowly getting up from her chair.

"Hey Tokage," Kendo quickly interjected, "Can you give us a second? I gotta talk to Ryou about something."

"Uh... Alright, sure?" She shrugged, "I'm gonna go help set the table I guess, don't be late." She waved, walking out and leaving them alone.

"What's up Kendo?" Ryou questioned curiously as the red head blocked the door and crossed her arms.

"That's what I was about to ask you," She said simply, "You've been a little off ever since sensei told us about the internships."

Ryou looked away nervously, "O-Oh I just... It's nothing, really I'm fine." She assured, trying to maintain a bad smile.

But Kendo was unconvinced, "Having trouble deciding? Even if the Kick Ass Agency won't take you back I'm sure a lot of Agencies would love to have you."

"No its not that, I kinda already picked a place out but... I'm really scared." She admitted, blushing lightly.

"Really? You? I've never seen you scared of anything." Kendo mused, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Come on, give me the details."

Ryou looked back at her for a moment, hesitating and on the verge of speaking before she threw her arms up, "Aaaagh! I hate this!" She cried out, walking over to her bed and sitting down on the side of it, "This anxiety, these knots on my stomach... Kendo I... I want to intern in the district I grew up in!"

The red head blinked in surprise, looking at her for a moment to see if she was serious. Considering how she was acting though, "Ryou are you... Sure that's a good idea?"

She scoffed lightly, shaking her head, "Look at me Kendo, I think its a terrible idea! But I..." Her eyes slowly drifted back down to the floor, "I have to... The more I've been facing what happened to me, what I did to my-" The word caught in her throat, "I can't just pretend it didn't happen, I want to go down there and do... Something, anything! I already took the time to read up on the district, it doesn't see much crime and there are only two hero agencies but if I can just help out a little then... I don't know, maybe this weird feeling in my gut will stop eating me."

Kendo frowned at her sadly, "I had no idea you were having such a rough time... Has this been going on since the Sports Festival?"

"No it... Started some time after that." She replied, remembering her weekend training Adachi.

 _"I wonder if he'd feel the same if he knew the truth..."_

"At the training camp," Ryou added, "That villain that attacked me, she... Knew about what I'd done, I don't know how but she did."

 _"_ _I know the darkness in your past... Death, you are a killer, and yet you dare to carry the title of hero?"_ Judgement's words ringing in her ears.

"I did something terrible, and I can't pretend it didn't happen and just move on." Ryou explained, glad to have someone to listen, "I can't call myself a Hero if I can't even face myself and what I did, so I'm going to go home and see it for myself."

Kendo gave her a moment, in case she wanted to say more, before nodding, "I understand... This is really important to you, and I think you're brave for going through with this." She offered a smile, trying to cheer her up, "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Thanks," Ryou laughed nervously as the tension broke, "Its still gonna be a real... Anxiety inducing experience."

"Sounds like it."

"Want to come with me?"

"Nope."

 **. . .**

The morning after Adachi had been knocked out by Mirio, his jaw was still sore. And he grumbled in annoyance while eating breakfast, his pride more damaged than his body. Luckily it was the weekend so he didn't have to worry about class, which was good considering he and many others were planning to look into internships starting today. Mr. Aizawa had made it clear they could pursue internships so long as their school work didn't fall behind.

"You know, that was the second time in like 3 days our class got its collective ass kicked." Kirishima pointed out.

"Yeah, and it only took Mirio like five seconds," Adachi grumbled, sipping his water, "It took my mom like an entire hour."

"He was just crazy skilled." Kaminari added, scratching his messy hair that still hadn't been fixed after getting out of bed.

"Yeah..." The lizard boys thoughts drifting to the internships as he finished up, "So, have either of you thought about where you're going to intern?"

Kirishima shrugged, "I was gonna try getting in touch with Fourth Kind, see if he can't give me some tips."

"I don't even know if I'm going to intern," Kaminari admitted, "Not yet at least, I've gotta make sure I don't fall behind in school work first."

"What about you?" Kirishima followed up, "You gonna go back to Ryukyu's Agency?"

"I'm thinking I might as well," Adachi shrugged, "Things got pretty crazy last time, but she said I was welcome back any time." He explained, getting up to take care of the dishes, _"Although..."_ That boy from the License Exam wormed his way into Adachi's mind once more, "Hey guys, you ever... Wonder if we've got warped perspective because we go to UA?"

When he turned back around he was met with confused looks, "What are you talking about?" Kaminari asked, voicing their confusion.

"I mean..." Adachi thought how to best put into words, "We all go to the biggest, most illustrious Hero School in all of Japan, where Pro Heroes that take the top spots are made... But there are other schools completely different from UA, lower class schools that turn out heroes who might never see the same spotlight we've gotten in the last few months, in their entire careers." He said, voicing his thoughts, "Isn't that... I don't know, strange?"

Kaminari scratched the back of his head, "Well when you say it like that..."

"Hey come on its not like we're stuck up or anything," Kirishima argued, "We all earned our spot here, so did you, its not our fault that all the crazy stuff happens to UA."

"Mr. Aizawa was pretty quick to pin that one on All Might..." Kaminari added with a nervous chuckle.

"I'm not saying its a bad thing, I guess," Adachi replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "But I just... I don't know, I think maybe looking at things with a different perspective wouldn't be a bad idea."

Kirishima quirked an eyebrow, crossing his arms, "And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

"I'm still working on that part," Adachi admitted with a shrug, "But going back to intern with one of the top rated heroes is probably not the way to do it." A thought suddenly coming to him, "As a matter of fact, I'm going to make a phone call!"

 **. . .**

"Are you sure? My offer is still on the table." Ryukyu said into the phone, kicking back on a bench while taking the call on her morning patrol.

"I'm positive," Adachi replied, the more he'd thought about the more he was sure of his decision, "I want to find a small, simple district to work in with a low class Hero Agency, I want to see things from the opposite side of the spectrum."

"Well, you certainly sound convicted so I won't try to stop you," She answered with a small smile, "And I hope you find the new perspective you're looking for... If you'd like I could put you in touch with an old friend of mine, he works at a pretty small Agency down south on the coast."

Adachi blinked in surprise on the other end, "Really? That would be great! Anything to get my foot in the door."

"Well he's a bit old school, I worked with him about Seven years ago when I was just starting out," She explained, looking up at the clouds while reminiscing, "He's not very popular and his Agency in Tokyo eventually got shut down because of the over saturation of new Agencies in the area, but I heard he set up down in Dokuga a couple years ago."

"Sounds perfect," Adachi nodded, "What's his name?"

"He goes by DK."

 **. . .**

Screams ringing in her ears.

Heart pounding.

Eyes darting all around, trying to see through the blood and flashing lights.

Everything hurt, stinging pain and battered limbs.

She could see everything and nothing.

Overwhelming emotions flooding her mind, but it always ended the same way.

Burning pain.

And then nothing.

But with every memory they fed her, she was learning. She was learning what they knew, the ones that came before her.

Her eyes opened slowly, as the procedure ended and the tubes were removed.

"That's the last of the memory maps I have stored."

But with every different creatures thought and feeling, in this swirling torrent of physical feelings and emotions. There was one constant.

"Give her some time to Recover and we'll prepare a proper test, maybe transport her to a facility off site..."

 _"Hate."_

"Wait, on second thought, put her through again and backup her own memory map as well."

"She only just came out, we could cause unnecessary pain."

"She will have to learn to handle pain, might as well start now."

 _"Hate... You..."_

"Put her through, we need that back up for the next one in case she Fails."

"Yes sir."

 _" **You... YOU KILLED THEM!** "_


	46. The Oldest Hero In Dokuga, DK!

**Hi everyone! Got some important things to mention today. First of which being the fact that I'm uploading on Saturday instead of Sunday! And that is for two reasons, the first being because I won't be near my computer tomorrow so I wouldn't be able to post the chapter anyways... And the SECOND reason, is because I've officially FINISHED everything I have planned. So, until its all out there, I'll be uploading twice a week :D Saturday and Wednesday are my updating days now and I'm really excited for whats coming up.**

 **Now, I'd like to address Ryou. She is a character that has been... Met with some mixed response, and most of that is because I myself was for a long time unsure on how to use her or even what I wanted from her.**

 **In the beginning, Ryou only existed as a temporary obstacle and character moment for Adachi. But after designing her and touching on the area of child abuse I am, unfortunately, far too familiar with, I wanted to expand on her as a character. But even with that she's kinda just existed this entire time, only showing up when it was relevant and not having a huge impact otherwise.**

 **So with this arc, I'm wrapping up her character. Exploring her past in case that wasn't already clear, and developing her Quirk in a way that makes her more unique than the punch drunk super girl.**

 **If you aren't a fan of Ryou, I'll just apologize now and let you know that she is the main point of this arc.**

 **Anyways, I've talked enough. I'll go over some of the more important things on my mind once I get all these chapters out to you guys.**

 **Enjoy! And thanks to everyone still giving the support and constructive criticism :D**

* * *

Adachi had been forced to get up pretty early, after receiving a message from Ryukyu on Sunday night about his internship. Apparently the Hero DK wanted to meet him first thing in the morning on Monday, so after staying up to sort out the paperwork and let Mr. Aizawa know he wouldn't be in class, Adachi had ridden a train down South. He'd left before anyone was even up for class, and as his train rolled to a stop at the station in Dokuga, it was only 8:00 AM.

 **Monday**

The Dokuga District was made up of a bunch of small, coastal towns. The main one being not much larger than Kaiji's home town, which put him at ease as he stepped off the train at the station. He could see from his elevated position, ships coming in and out of the bay. The districts towns covered the area around a large cove of water in a half circle. The two tips being connected by a massive bridge large enough for the huge cargo ships coming in to pass under. While off in one area there was a suburb that appeared to be under construction, houses being built.

The placement of them was strange, right in the center of an already established neighborhood.

 _"That must be where it happened."_ He thought, frowning slightly.

In the days leading up to this, he'd done a bit of reading on Dokuga. And heard about a tragic event that occurred some years ago involving a bombing. The news said it appeared that some villains had accidentally detonated a bomb they were building, damaging the surrounding homes and reducing the house it had started in to a crater. A lot of people were injured in the event and a few people died, including a young girl. Luckily All Might had been on the scene as well, passing through the area at the time he raced to the site to help out.

Though, apparently a lot of the details were fuzzy. With only two Hero Agencies and such a small Police Force in this district some of the information given was questionable at best, inconclusive at worst.

And now, years later they were still rebuilding.

Shaking it off, Adachi stretched a bit and began making his way down into the streets. He had his costume with him, but nothing was guaranteed just yet. He had an interview with DK to get through, and according to Ryukyu he was not the easiest guy to impress. But Adachi wasn't afraid of rejection, he would present himself to this old Hero and either be taken in or get turned away, and he was okay with those odds.

On way to the downtown area, Adachi saw a lot of people hanging around homeless shelters. Covered in rags but still acting as a community, with a few TVs buzzing about the news keeping them entertained. It was a rough sight, the very sight he'd hoped to get some experience with on this trip. Even people like this, he would make sure they were safe.

Continuing on, he noticed a large building down by the docks. Not a warehouse, but a massive factory and office building. Forma-Gen, the logo read on the front. It was some kind of experimental research facility? They studied the development of new Quirks and their applications, according to the article he'd read over the weekend. It was by far the biggest building here, and certainly appeared to have some wealthy backers.

Eventually he came upon the... Agency?

 _"This just looks like a big warehouse."_ Adachi though, staring up at the building. Aside from a lazily printed orange and red logo reading DK on the front doors it didn't really look like anything special, "Well, this is the address." He decided, nodding his head and walking to the smaller door beside the massive sliding warehouse doors. He tried to pull open the door but it wouldn't budge, "Locked?" He blinked, knocking a few times on the door.

But after a few moments, he had still heard no response.

 _"Maybe he's... Working?"_

"Huh, you're early." A rough voice sounded behind him.

Turning his head, Adachi was met with a rather familiar face. Frighteningly similar to the one he'd seen in the License Exam, Adachi was looking at the face of a monkey man. Dark red fur surrounding his face and covering his head. He appeared to have a wide frame, muscles likely matching that of Endeavor, but it was hard to tell as he wore a dark red suit that matched his fur, with a long tail flicking around behind him.

 _"You are certainly... Not what I was expecting."_ He swallowed before bowing his head, "Good morning, Mr. DK, sir, I'm-"

"I know who you are," He grunted, sipping his coffee while walking past Adachi to unlock the door, "And you're early, I said 9:00."

"It is 9:00, sir." Adachi pointed out, tilting his head.

"It is? Already?" DK replied, checking his watch, "Shit, well anyways come on in, its not much to look at."

As Adachi stepped inside he was met with a damp smell, likely from this warehouse sitting right on the water. Before him in the relatively well lit warehouse was a score of various types of exercising equipment. It was mostly open space, but at the far side of the room was a desk with a pretty old computer sitting on it, all hooked up. That appeared to be where DK did his paperwork from the messy look it.

"This way," The monkey man grunted, heading for the Desk, "We'll just get straight to the interview, so I can move on with my day."

"Uh... Sounds good?" Adachi answered, following him and taking a seat on the opposite side of the desk.

DK sat down in his chair, taking another long drink of his coffee before pulling up a paper, "Now... Ryukyu said you were... Interested in interning here, why?"

"Like I told her," Adachi began with a serious look, "Recently I've noticed how training at UA has changed my perspective of things, and how other people look at me differently because I go there, so rather than work in some high level, super classy Agency I want to work somewhere that's a little more-"

"Shitty?" DK questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"I was gonna say down to earth." Adachi replied, holding a leveled gaze, "Ryukyu pointed me to you, so here I am."

DK began stroking his beard with one hand, holding up Adachi's paper and looking over it, _"This kid, blue scales, top of the sports festival... Yep, this is definitely the one Ganta told me about."_ A faint smirk crossed his lips, "Tell me, you placed first in the Sports Festival, surpassed your classmates and took the Number 1 Spot, why?"

"Why?"

"What was your motivation?"

"Well... My mom did say I was grounded if I didn't win," Adachi laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head, "But other than that I... Didn't really have a reason, I just kept going." He shrugged, "I beat my friend in the first round, and another friend in the second, then I made a friend in the third round and just decided at that point hey you know what I've made it this far why not try to win?" He shrugged, "And it seemed to work out."

DK searched the boys eyes for a moment, before he chuckled lightly and shook his head, "Not the answer I was expecting, you know what? Screw it, you're in."

Adachi blinked in surprise, before a smile crossed his face, "Wow really? That easy? Thank you." He bowed his head in appreciation before another thought occurred, "What were you expecting?"

"Eh, some bullshit about teachers and everyone telling you to aim for number one, or wanting to be the best," DK shrugged, "Something along those lines... You know what I was told when I did my Hero training at a far less prestigious school?"

"Um... No, what?" Adachi questioned confused.

"Do anything to stand out." DK quoted, "You've got it easy at UA, with a school like that behind you, becoming a recognized hero is easy... Not everyone has that opportunity."

Adachi nodded his head, "I understand, that's why I came here."

DK stood up from his seat, stretching a bit and making a few of his old bones pop, "Alright, lets run you through the basics around here, hopefully Griffon will be here soon and I can turn you over to him."

"I'm ready, Sir."

 **. . .**

Ryou had left the Campus shortly after her first class, hopping on a train heading south so she could make it to her interview. After putting in a call over the weekend and submitting a resume of sorts, they said they would at least give her an interview to answer some questions in person. Though she was still nervous when she stepped off the train and took in the sights, she'd long since decided this was what she had to do.

But still, taking in the sights of the city she once knew was a somewhat strange experience. It hadn't even been that long since she was here, right around three years ago. But the more she stared at the city, the more she was left with an empty feeling, and dread in her stomach when she thought about how bad her life at home had been.

 _"The bay is so beautiful... But I don't remember it at all."_ She thought sadly, feeling something slip a little and a slight gust pick up around her. Quickly she tightened her focus, _"No, none of that, you are FINE, you will control this."_ She told herself, narrowing her eyes sharply while clenching her fists.

Before finally, she brought her hands up and slapped her cheeks, demanding her tension turn to resolve! "Alright! Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Everyone else on the platform gasping as the girl cried out and started running into the city. Putting her doubts and fears aside she planned to take this path of hers by storm, or maybe she was just bottling things up? She didn't care! Ryou didn't stop racing through the streets until she'd reached her destination!

Near the city center stood a decent sized building. It had at least two floors, with a big bright sign depicting a figure flying through the air with green lights. The words "Spitfire" were glowing beneath it. One of the two Agencies in this district, and the more popular of the two. The Agency was run by the local Hero Spitfire and his two sidekicks, Firefly and Dragonfly. They were an interesting bunch, none of them had any impressive Quirks, nothing that would make for good hero work anyways.

Their Quirks did however, help them out in craft support items. And because of that, the trio made their Agency on high tech gear.

The double doors before Ryou were open so she didn't waste anymore time. Stepping through into the lobby, she was met with air conditioning and a catchy jingle. All around the room were posters of the Heroes themselves along with several famous heroes. A TV showing the news was running in the corner on a table, while the main desk had a beautiful young woman with red hair sitting behind it.

"May I help you with something?" She asked with a polite smile before registering her uniform, "Oh you must be from UA, that girl with the interview? Spitfire is taking a call right now but you can wait outside of it his office, right this way." She urged, leading Ryou down a hallway towards another door with a few chairs sitting outside of it.

"Thank you, this place is really nice." Ryou offered politely, trying to put on a good first impression.

"Why thank you." She giggled in amusement, stopping at the door, "Just wait here, I'll let him know you're waiting once he's done on the phone." She explained, before heading back to the front desk.

Ryou nodded and sat down a bit awkwardly, forced to sit in relative silence while sorting out her thoughts. Thinking about what she might be asked. Though before she could get too far into it, the voice of Spitfire sounded through the door, along with a door closing meaning he'd probably just returned to his office from another room.

"-ardly believe it myself, but Firefly saw them while she was on patrol this morning." He must have still been on the phone, "Look look look, I know these kids tend to draw a lot of attention, but don't worry about it! The old man won't be a problem." After a short pause, Spitfire laughed, "Alright alright you drive a hard bargain, we'll keep an eye on things for you, it is our job to protect the good people of Dokuga after all... Alright, Friday? Got it."

A moment after the talking stopped, the door opened. Ryou quickly shifting to make it look like she wasn't eavesdropping, "H-Hello Mr. Spitfire, sir." She greeted with an eager smile.

"You must be Rinsuke," His face was that of a young man, no less than 6 or 7 years older than Ryou herself, and he was clad in his Hero costume. The torso was bright green, but the arms and legs were black. He had a gauntlet on his right arm that looked like some kind of cannon. He also wore goggles and a green cap over his hair coupled with the kind of oxygen mask pilots wear though it wasn't covering his mouth at the moment. He had a device on his back that looked like a jet pack, with various other gadgets, "Come on in and we'll talk."

His smile was charming and he had a pleasant air about him, Ryou rose from her seat and followed him inside, "Its a pleasure to meet you Spitfire, you have a really nice Agency for such a small district."

Earning a chuckle from him as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah we get that a lot, but hey even if its a small district somebody has gotta help these people right? Who cares about fame and glory when people are in need?"

Ryou smiled warmly at that, "That's really nice, its a shame Heroes like you aren't in the spotlight more."

"Yeah... Anyways, now that you've buttered me up lets get to the interview." Spitfire replied, leaning back in his chair, "Though, it might not be much of an interview." His tone shifting slightly.

"Oh?" Ryou quirked an eyebrow, "And why is that?"

Spitfire took a deep breath and sighed, "Unfortunately, we don't really have room for an intern here." He admitted grimly, "Like you said, we are a pretty nice Agency for such a small district, and you're right... We put a lot into keeping up appearances so people have something to believe in around here, so they know Heroes haven't forgotten about them, and doing that makes it hard to afford things like taking on an intern..." He shook his head and sighed again, "I'm sorry, we'd love to have a student from UA here, but we just can't afford it right now."

Ryou digested his words and nodded slowly, "That's okay, I understand... I mean hey that's a lot better reason than just saying you don't like me." She chuckled nervously, rising from her seat, "Alright well... Thank you for at least speaking to me and being honest." She added, bowing her head.

"Come on," Spitfire chuckled, "You come all the way out here the least you deserve is to be given a straight answer." He added, offering her a hand shake that Ryou gladly accepted.

With that, Ryou made her way back outside. Her mind drawing a bit of a blank while she began moving down the sidewalk, staring at the ground. She couldn't be angry, Spitfire was such a nice guy and was doing good work out here. His reasons made enough sense too, all things considered. Maybe it was more about not drawing so much attention to this place? UA students had been targeted recently, so maybe he was trying to avoid a fight with higher profile villains?

But even so...

 _"What am I supposed to do now?"_ Ryou had built up this desire to face her demons, try to fix things or get over these knots in her stomach. But with being turned down, she wasn't exactly sure where to go from here. _"Maybe I could try the other Agency?"_

"LOOKOUT!"

A familiar voice snapped her back to reality, Ryou's eyes darting up from the ground only to realize she was in the middle of the street. Everything slowed down as her head turned, eyes widening seeing a large truck heading right for her. It was only ten feet away, horn blaring at her. Her mind was still drawing a blank, she hesitated.

"Oof!" Something small slammed into her, knocking her back to the sidewalk as both figures tumbled across the ground. The messy haired girl groaned as she sat up, a gust of wind following the truth driving by. Looking around, she spotted a familiar face, "ADACHI!?" Dressed in his hero costume and panting heavily.

"Whew I... I made it just in time." He said, rolling over onto his back, "Ryou what... What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice work Rizado." Came the rough voice of DK as he stepped across the street now that the light had changed. He was still clad in that same suit, evidently it was his choice of hero costume, "You're a lot faster than you look."

"Th-Thanks... Ugh..." Adachi sighed in relief, slowly getting up and offering the still stunned Ryou a hand, "But seriously, what are you doing all the way down here?"

"I-I uh..."

"You two know one another?" DK questioned, stroking his beard as Adachi helped her up, _"Those eyes... I feel like I've seen them before."_ He thought while examining her uniform, she was definitely from UA as well.

"She's in the other hero course class," Adachi explained, dusting himself off a bit, "DK, meet one of the strongest students in my grade, Rinsuke Ryou." His eyes widened for a second, and in that moment Adachi saw something else as well. A realization? Fear? Shock? It vanished as quickly as it appeared, behind DK's rather stern expression, "Is that so... Hmph, well either way, what is another UA student doing running around my district and walking into traffic?" He demanded, folding his arms over his broad chest, "Speak!" He stood eye to eye with Ryou, one of the few people that matched and even surpassed her height by a few inches.

"Ngh! I-I just-" She was fumbling for words, Adachi being here wasn't part of the plan at all! Why was everything taking such a sharp turn today!? Why couldn't this be just a simple arc for poor Ryou!? "I came here to... Try and intern with the Spitfire Agency, but they turned me down." She admitted, nervously rubbing the back of her neck, "Guess I kinda spaced out while thinking about what I'm going to do for an internship now... Thanks for saving me." She added with a small smile.

Adachi waved her off, "Don't mention it, if you'd seen that truck coming you could have dodged or totally stopped it yourself I'm sure." He chuckled, "Sucks about your internship though, what made you wanna come all the way down here anyways?"

"Uh-" Dammit, she hadn't thought that far ahead, "Th-The Kick Ass agency told me about these guys!" She blurted out in the heat of the moment, "Y-Yeah uh... A group of good heroes working in a small time district to help out the little man! Yep!"

"Is that so...?" DK answered, eyeing her over suspiciously, _"It couldn't really be her could it? She looks completely different! But those eyes..."_

"Hey why don't you give her an interview DK!" Adachi said suddenly, grinning up at him, "I mean she's one of the best students in our grade, and she's already here with her stuff! I can vouch for her- OW!" He yelped as DK swatted him upside the head ruffling the boys feathers.

"IDIOT! I'm not just handing out internships! You're lucky I even accepted yours!" The monkey man shouted down at him, before his eyes darted back to Ryou, "As for you..."

Ryou waved her hands, laughing nervously, "N-No that's fine Sir! I-I wouldn't make such a demand, you've already got Adachi as an intern anyways so I'll just-"

"I want you to hit me." DK said suddenly, eyes burning into her own, _"I have to know."_

"You..." Ryou blinked, trying to register what he'd just said, "What?"

"Hit. Me." He commanded, a few people starting to stare, "Use your Quirk and hit me with it!"

Ryou swallowed nervously, "A-Alright..." Tightening her focus as her skin began to glow, her hair swaying a bit as a slight burst escaped her body.

"Is this really the place to do this?" Adachi questioned looking between them both, "Sir you have an entire ring at the Agency!"

"If she can't do this she doesn't even deserve t-"

"HAAH!"

Her punch struck him right across the jaw, only a small portion of her real power but enough to knock down most normal people. Showcasing how sturdy DK was when he didn't even budge, just turned his head slightly with the blow. His eyes darted to her, wider than before.

Ryou swallowed nervously, powers fading as she saw his expression, "I-I'm sorry was that too hard!?"

"We're going back to the Agency, now." He said suddenly, waving a hand to hail a taxi, "Rinsuke Ryou, you've got yourself an interview."

 **. . .**

"So, this _wasn't_ the same interview you had?" Ryou asked nervously, stepping out of the changing room clad in her Hero costume.

"Nope," Adachi answered shaking his head sitting in a chair beside the fighting area in the center of the warehouse. It was built similar to that of the Sports Festivals fighting ground, just smaller, "He just asked me a few questions... I like the new costume by the way."

"Great... And thanks." Ryou sighed heavily, moving around the side to take her place in the ring while DK stood at the far end. He was removing his suit coat and the shirt underneath revealing his fur covered muscles, "So how are we doing this exactly?"

"Just try to knock me out of the ring," DK answered, turning around to toss the shirt aside. Ryou winced, seeing a series of what looked like burn scars all over the left side of his back, "Before I knock you out."

The door nearby opened and another figure walked in. The man had a bird face kinda like Tokoyami, but this one was a falcon head. Red features with a yellow beak, white feathers running down his neck and covering his chest. He was muscular, and had two big wings sprouting from his back. His hands ended in sharp, scaly bird talons, while his legs were feline ending in cats paws. He also had a long lion like tail behind him, however instead of ending in a tuft of fur it ended with a plume of red feathers. The only clothing he wore were silver bracers on his forearms, and a pair of baggy red shorts.

"Whoa, new people." He said in a much smoother voice than DK's, but he still sounded quite mature, while his sharp eyes darted between Ryou and Adachi.

"Took you long enough Griffin," DK barked in annoyance, "Take the boy out on patrol, get to know him while I handle this." He commanded, "We may or may not have two interns to deal work with."

"Really?" Griffin quirked an eyebrow, "Works for me, come on kid lets patrol."

Adachi grimaced as he got up to follow, "Sure thing..." While on the inside, _"Dammit I really wanted to watch..."_

"Good, now we won't be interrupted," DK said, watching as the door closed behind them and he turned all focus to Ryou, "Whenever you're ready, go ahead and take the first swing."

Ryou nodded, taking a strong stance while thinking quickly, _"The object is to knock him out, he's obviously going to wait and counter me... But if I'm faster than he can move."_ Clenching her fists, her eyes began to glow as her body lit up, "Third Release!" Sparks danced around her, a gust of wind blowing through the warehouse, knocking down a few loose items and blowing around papers.

"If you win this you're cleaning those up." DK stated, narrowing his eyes as he watched her. The gusts washing over him gave a familiar sensation, one that sent a chill down his spine, _"Yes... There's no doubt about it."_

 _"My finishing move!"_ Ryou made her attack, lunging for him and closing the distance in an instant with arm out for a super powered lariat attack to knock him out of the ring. On impact, another burst of energy was released from her body and the floor beneath them shook.

But DK didn't budge, a hand between her arm and his abs that slowly gripped around her forearm, "You know... I've felt a power like yours only once before in my life."

Ryou's blood ran cold, as she looked up at him slowly with fear in her eyes, _"No... He couldn't really-"_

"So after three years, you decided to come home and try to play Hero." He spun around suddenly, and threw her back across the ring with ease rather than toss her out.

Ryou hit the ground sliding before jumping back up to her feet, _"No no no no NO! He can't know, nobody should-"_

"Why are you really here? Rin Chikara?" Hearing that name sent a jolt through her, "That look, you know what you did, was this some kind of atonement? Coming here!?" He demanded, slamming a heavy foot to the floor and sending cracks through it as his fur faintly glowed red and his muscles swelled a bit.

 _"N-No that's-"_ Sitting on the edge, Ryou grit her teeth. Her sudden fears activating a kind of fight or flight instinct, "Do NOT call me that!" She barked back, "I'm not the same scared little girl I was three years ago!" She shouted, launching herself at him again. This time aiming a heavy handed punch right for his stupid face!

This time however, DK ducked beneath the below and charged. Slamming into her ribs with his shoulder and driving her back towards the edge of the ring, "Are you sure? Because I still see the same fear in those eyes of yours! The same fear I saw in the hospital the moment you realized what you'd DONE!"

"Hnnngh!" Her eyes burned brighter, "Final... RELEASE!" Focusing as much as she could to contain the energy, the shock wave released from her body started to push DK away while the windows of the warehouse exploded outward and the exercise equipment was thrown against the walls. Before he could be blown away however, Ryou grabbed a hold of DK, "I'll show you how much I've changed!" Slamming her foot into the ground to lock her in place, "IF YOU JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE!" Turning with all her might, she ripped DK right off his feet and threw him.

He hit the wall hard enough to leave a dent, as the burst of wind died down and Ryou was left in the ring panting. DK fell from his spot on the wall and hit the floor cringing in pain, "Sh-Shit..."

By the time he was able to rise onto his knees, Ryou was already standing in front of him, "I didn't come down here to atone, I came down here to face what I did... This isn't the way I wanted to do it, but well because of you here we are." She said calmly, but her voice carried an edge to it, "If you'll have me I promise I'll work harder than anyone to help out around here, I'll fight bad guys I'll patrol I'll clean up trash I'll get cats out of trees just tell me what to do and its done."

He stared into her eyes for a few moments in silence, before placing his hand on one knee and pushing himself up, "Will you look at this place?" He grunted, eyes looking over the rest of the warehouse, "What a mess... All Might didn't train you well enough, that much is clear." He shook his head, "He did train you right? After he took you away? I'd always thought you were just gonna end up in an orphanage or detention center... Hmph, you don't need to atone, you're right, but you do need something..."

"So... What are you saying?" Ryou questioned, not getting her hopes up just yet.

"That apparently, I am the poor son of a bitch that has to fix you."

She had to resist sighing in relief, "How do we start?"

"By cleaning this place up, idiot."


	47. New Perspective, New Truths and Old Lies

**SURPRISE MIDNIGHT UPLOAD!**

 **I mean hey it is technically wednesday now right? HAHAHAHA!**

 **Enjoy! Now begins the real twists and turns, as we dive deeper...**

* * *

 **Tuesday**

Ryou yawned as she stepped off the train alongside Adachi, the duo arriving once again in Dokuga. It was the day after their first arrival here, and after spending the day learning the ropes of the area DK got them set up on schedule. Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday they would be coming down here to work at DK's Agency from early morning to mid afternoon.

Meaning that they would still have a good amount of free time that could be dedicated to schoolwork. It was going to be hard to keep up with this and class, but they were both ready to give it their all.

Still though, getting up so early just to take an hour long train ride was not fun for either of them and they spent most of the ride dozing off.

"Rizado, you'll be running patrols today with Griffin while I help get Megaton here adjusted and show her around the district." DK explained simply, "You said you wanted to see the other side, well he'll give you the full experience, listen to what he has to say and don't be afraid to ask questions or step out of your comfort zone."

Adachi nodded his head, "Yes sir, I'll learn everything I can."

"Then lets go." Griffin nodded, making his way back outside with Adachi to get things started.

While Ryou was left in the hands of DK, the monkey man turned full attention to her, "Now as for you... We will be giving you a tour today of sorts, but first we need to address that terrible fighting style of yours."

Ryou blinked, placing her hands on her hips, "What do you mean? I thought my fighting style was fine, I beat you didn't I?"

"WELL YOU WOULDN'T HAVE IF I WASN'T TOYING AROUND!" DK barked at her loudly, making Ryou flinch, "You fight stiff as a board, every movement you make it rigid, I can tell from the way you fight your muscles are wound pretty tight." He explained, calming down as quickly as he'd exploded.

 _"Your power is incredible, but your movements are stiff, your muscles tight."_

Ryou sighed heavily, "That crazy lady with the sword said the same thing! Is it really that bad? I kinda just throw punches... Maybe I need to be faster?"

"No you idiot," He scoffed, waving her off, "The problem is you fight like every punch you throw is going to end the fight! You put your entire body into these stupid, blunt attacks and if they don't knock out your enemy you're wide open!" He exclaimed, "You're not All Might, you don't have the power to level a city in one swing, so STOP fighting like you do!" DK commanded, jabbing an accusing finger at you.

Ryou flinched back a bit at that, "But I..." Hesitating to speak the words aloud, knowing it would only anger him, _"I am the strongest... Right? I was... Trained by All Might, I surpass everyone else in my class."_ She thought, before sighing and nodding, "I'll try to change how I fight."

DK nodded, "You're too tense as well and it shows in your movements, you need to loosen up."

Ryou hesitated for a moment, "But, if I loosen up I could... Go off again, couldn't I? My struggle has been controlling my Quirk, so I have to keep it under a tight lock."

DK quirked an eyebrow at that, _"Hmm... Well there's the root of the problem, I'll have to think of a way through that, but for now..."_ A faint smirk crossed his lips.

"So... Do you have any ideas?" Ryou asked somewhat nervously.

"I absolutely do," DK declared, "Come on, we're going out!"

"To where?"

"I know this place down town that gives an AMAZING deep tissue massage!"

 **. . .**

"Here you go ma'am." Adachi smiled as he handed back the older woman's purse, he'd been pretty quick to run down the idiot who'd stolen it and tried to run.

"Oh thank you so much." She accepted it eagerly, nodding her head to him, "You must be new around here, what's your name?"

"Rizado," He answered proudly, "At your service."

Before Griffin landed beside him, "Alright the bag snatcher has been dropped off at the station."

"Already?" Adachi blinked in surprise, "Geez you're fast."

"Oh ho ho! Griffin here is the fastest flyer you'll ever find!" The old woman chuckled, "Well you heroes have a fine day, and thank you again!"

As she walked off, Griffin sighed and shook his head, "I wish that were true, but the people around here aren't that used to big heroes so... They are somewhat easily impressed."

"That's not a bad thing," Adachi chuckled in response, "Though, I bet if I started transforming they'd probably either go nuts or run in fear."

"Come on, lets grab a drink." Griffin hiked a thumb over his shoulder to a nearby vending machine, "Your reward for that quick catch, you're a lot faster than you look tiny."

"Tiny?" Adachi blinked, following behind Griffin across the street, _"Okay fine he is like two feet taller than me but still!"_

"You got a preference?" He asked while pulling out a wallet.

"Anything with a lot of sugar." Adachi shrugged, "Oh, the watermelon, get me the watermelon flavored."

"Alright alright... So," Griffin looked to him after putting in his money, "What do you think of our tiny little town and the tiny little Agency you're working at?"

"Well, I think it needs new windows after yesterday." He joked lightly.

"You know what I mean."

Adachi chuckled nervously, "Right yeah... I don't know, its really... Nice, actually."

Griffin quirked his feathery brow, "Oh really?"

"Yeah," Adachi nodded, taking his drink as it dropped in the machine, popping the top before taking a drink, "Its quiet, feels so down to earth... I'm used to towering buildings and busy streets, the news showing nothing but new villain attacks or heroes doing their jobs all the time." He explained, looking out to the bay, "I doubt I'll be able to work somewhere like this once I go pro, though."

Piquing Griffin's interest even further, "And why is that? After graduating at UA you could work anywhere you want, especially with your record."

"Maybe," Adachi fidgeted with the top of his drink a bit, "But well... I don't know, I feel like I'll have to be where the big things happen," He explained nervously, "I know what kind of punishment I can take, and its the kind that a lot of others probably can't so... I need to be there, wherever the big loud scary things happen, to protect others."

"Hmm... An interesting way to think about it."

"Well, that, and I'll probably just end up going wherever Mina wants to go." He added absentmindedly.

"Mina? Is that a girl?"

"W-Well... Yes?"

Griffin laughed at his nervous reaction, slapping Adachi on the back nearly making him spill his drink, "Relax! No need to be embarrassed, just something else to fight for right?"

Adachi felt a small smile returning, "Y-Yeah... Yeah I guess you're right."

"Of course I am, now lets get back to work."

 **. . .**

 **Wednesday**

"Nice work, an excellent application of your Quirk!" The Rescue Hero 13 congratulated, as Adachi swam to the watery shores with a number of dummies on his back along with a few students.

They were in the middle of rescue training in the USJ, specifically in the flood zone. And much to Adachi's surprise, his Kaiju form was pretty good at swimming. His twin tails acting like a powerful rudder while his strong legs made swimming incredibly easy. As they arrived at the shoreline and his team of Iida, Kouda and Hagakure began offloading the rescue dummies, Adachi rose his head out of the water.

 **"Thaauunkk, Yuoouugh."** Now if he could only get over this slight speech impediment. The extra language courses he was taking with Present Mic were helping, the Hero knew his vocal exercises. Now if only people would stop teasing him, after a few images of the giant monster sitting in front of whiteboard performing said exercises made their way into the classes group chat.

"That's the last group," 13 added, checking off her board, "Lets head back to the bus so you can all unsuit and head back to your dorms for the day."

Adachi nodded, shifting back to normal as he released a sigh of relief shaking some water off, "Blech, I need a towel..."

"Thanks for keeping us all dry," Hagakure giggled in amusement, "You make a great ride!"

"Gee thanks." He replied, rolling his eyes as they began departing from the facility.

Once the bus was rolling, Adachi leaned against his window with a towel in hand. Chatter all around him as he thought more about his internship, only turning back to reality once Ashido poked at him from behind, "Hey! Quit spacing out, I only get you a few days a week now so you'd better pay more attention to me." She teased, tugging at the crest on the back of his head.

Adachi laughed at that, swatting her hand away, "Oh come on, its hard enough keeping up with school work too what do you want me to do?"

"Entertain me more," She chuckled, flipping over the seat and landing beside him, "So give me the details, how is the internship going with DK?"

"Well I've actually hardly worked with him," Adachi admitted with a smile, "He showed me around town the first day, but other than that I've been working a lot with Griffin." He explained, "He's a pretty cool guy, we usually just patrol around downtown and by the docks... I caught a purse snatcher yesterday."

"Well that's kinda boring, but at least you're having fun." She replied with a smile, nudging him impatiently.

Rolling his eyes, Adachi submitted and slipped an arm around her, "Yeah, its nice and quiet down there... So have you thought about interning anywhere yet?"

"No not really," Ashido answered with a shrug, "I am barely keeping up with classwork, I don't think I could handle it yet..."

"That's alright, I'm sure you'll get your chance." Adachi chuckled, giving her a small squeeze.

"Yeah... So wait, if DK hasn't been with you, what has he been doing?"

"Spending a lot of time with Ryou."

 **. . .**

 **Thursday**

"I'm glad it's holding up so well," Miki said with a smile, sitting across from Ryou at the lunch table, "But your internship must be rough, you look really sore."

Ryou laughed nervously, wincing as she took another bite of food, "Yeah, I'm really working hard in training." She lied, _"That deep tissue massage was so painful, the pain should have gone away by now... I wish I had blown the windows out of that building."_

"It must be so cool, training with your Quirk and being out there as a real hero." She smiled lightly, thinking about it, "I thought about trying for the hero course, but in the end I don't think I could bring myself to really hurt someone, I'll let the inventions I give you heroes handle that." Miki added with a nervous chuckle, "And some of those villains I see on TV are really scary."

"What is your Quirk anyways?" Ryou questioned curiously, sipping her drink.

"Oh, I call it Hammer Space." Miki replied, "I can phase objects into my body, and pull them out wherever I want," She explained eagerly, not used to talking about her Quirk, "Like when a cartoon character pulls a giant hammer out of nowhere, that's where the name comes from!"

"That sounds so cool!" Ryou beamed in excitement, "Can you show me?"

"Sure," Miki giggled, blushing a bit, "Here, I'll do it with this," She grabbed her fork from the table, "Basically, when I activate my Quirk it breaks down the form passing into my body to just molecules, that's how it stays inside me without messing anything up," Miki explained, the fork starting to break down as it slid into her palm, "I can only do it with simple objects, because I'd need to know the molecular structure and composition of something like say... A phone if I wanted to do that." Holding up her opposite hand, the fork began to emerge out of it, "And then I can reconstruct the object out of its scattered molecules."

"That is by far the coolest Quirk I have ever seen." Ryou said calmly with an awestruck expression.

Making Miki blush even harder, "N-No it really isn't! I-I barely ever even use it, aside from easily storing tools or cleaning up around the shop... Your Quirk is much more impressive!"

"Are you kidding me!?" Ryou demanded, bolting up from her seat, arms spread wide, "I just punch things! You are like atomizing forks and stuff!" She grabbed Miki by the shoulders and lifted her up right out of her seat, "That is AMAZING! And you build super cool things too!" The poor girls face only turning more and more red.

"Uh, Ryou," Her head snapped around, spotting All Might standing there, "Maybe you should put her down, before you give the poor girl a heart attack." He chuckled.

"Huh? Oh, right," Ryou laughed, setting her down, "Sorry about that... Got a little carried away."

"N-N-No it's okay," She assured, waving her off while quickly grabbing her things, "I have to go, b-but thanks for all the nice things you said!" She added, rushing off before Ryou could stop her.

Fortunately, when in such a mood Ryou's attention-span was... Limited, "Oh well, hey All Might! You need something?" She asked, turning full focus to him.

 _"She's in an awfully good mood..."_ He noted, scratching the back of his head, "I wanted to talk to you, preferably in private if you have the time."

"Oh uh... Sure? I'm not doing anything." She shrugged, following along, _"I haven't spoken to him since I started my internship, so whats he want now all of a sudden?"_

Once they'd reached an empty room down the first hall over, All Might pulled up a chair and took a seat, "So, I heard you began interning in Dokuga." His eyes watching her carefully, trying to read a reaction, "With DK, no less..."

Ryou nodded, "Yeah, I originally tried for Spitfire, but he turned me down..."

 _"Is that it? Has she not... Found out yet?"_ All Might wondered, quirking an eyebrow, "Are you... Okay, with being back there?"

Ryou turned her eyes towards the window, "I guess... I'm not sure," She explained, "DK is... Aware, of my situation and is trying to help me out," Nervously rubbing her hands together, "I went back because some of those old feelings have been bothering me lately... Those voices I try to ignore are getting louder, have been for some time."

All Might nodded slowly, "I'm sorry I didn't realize you were having trouble... I wish you'd said something, I would have helped you."

"I know you would have," Ryou replied quickly, smiling sadly, "But that's... Kinda why I didn't come to you."

 _"If I granted you One For All, I have no doubt you'd become the next Greatest Hero... You would give absolutely everything you've got, to protect this world, to protect even the smallest most insignificant bit of goodness there is... And it would destroy you."_

"It seems like lately, everyone is looking out for me," She added, shaking her head, "I'm supposed to be the strongest, I am the strongest but... There are things I still can't do, people I wasn't able to protect." Her thoughts going back to the training camp, and her friends that were hurt during the attack.

"Ryou, you're still young, and growing-"

"But have I really grown that much at all?" She cut him off sharply, perhaps sharper than she'd intended. But her questioning look was enough to keep All Might quiet, to let her speak, "Yeah, I opened up to a few people after the Sports Festival, I stopped smiling for no reason, I started worrying more about myself but... It feels like I'm no stronger now than I was back then." Her eyes slowly returning to the window, "And I don't just mean physically... I'm still scared, all the time I'm afraid of what might happen if I slip up... That it might happen again, to people I care about a lot more than I did my parents... Controlling my Quirk hasn't gotten any easier since these thoughts surfaced, ignoring what I did won't fix anything so... I'm going to try and face the death of my parents head on!"

All Might waited quietly, to see if there was more as he digested her words. His mind going over that terrible event three years ago, "Ryou... I'm so sorry," He sighed heavily, "I failed you, completely as a teacher I failed you." Leaning forward, elbows on his knees and eyes down, _"I never should have-"_

"This isn't your fault," She replied, shaking her head, "This all goes back to what I did, and the fact that I never dealt with it... I went to Dokuga to face that old life, and finally... Maybe finally leave it behind."

All Might sat on the edge of a moral knife, knowing only one answer to her problem. One that could make or break her, and in Ryou's already fragile state, he wasn't sure he could- "What if... What you did wasn't... Really what you think?"

Her head turned slowly towards him, quirking an eyebrow, "What do you mean? I can't change the past, All Might."

"No but, what if some fool had just taught you the wrong history?"

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, suspicion rising within her as a small fear gripped her heart, "All Might... What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about what happened three years ago."

 **. . .**

 **Dokuga Central Hospital, Three Years Ago.**

 _"What are the parents conditions?" All Might questioned, "And the others who were injured?"_

 _"Well, the Mother passed away an hour ago," The doctor answered grimly, looking over the papers he had on hand, "Head trauma, damaged wind pipe, it wasn't the explosion that killed her though, those injuries were somehow minor... The Father has a history of domestic abuse, I know the girl isn't talking but I think its safe to say we have our trigger event... As for the others, we've got three dead, and a number of wounded with various burns and broken bones." He flipped over another piece of paper, "This shouldn't have happened, she was registered as being Quirkless."  
_

 _All Might's eyes fell grimly, another cruel reminder of those people in the world he might never be able to save, "And the Father?"_

 _"Badly injured, a lot of shrapnel in his back, broken bones from the force of the blast as well, his right arm was terrible damaged." He said, looking through the glass to the bandaged body of a young girl within as she laid on a hospital table, watched over by two armed guards, "If she's lucky, she'll end up in a stable home, but not before she goes through a few months of psyche work to make sure this doesn't happen again..."_

 _"And if she isn't lucky?" All Might questioned, "What happens if the systems fails her? Like it does so many others..." Her Quirk was unstable, to say the least. She didn't need to be thrown into foster care, or to be thrown into some kind of containment or psyche ward.  
_

 _"Well, I'm no expert but..." It was hard to hold the conversation, knowing full well what All Might was feeling right now, "Worst case? They can't prove the father killed the mother given the circumstances of this event, she ends up back in his custody and... Either turns into a villain, or winds up in a detention center until she's either reformed or goes on to a real prison."_

 _"She didn't do anything wrong, it was just an accident," All Might clenched his fists tightly, grimacing at the sight of armed men watching over a child, "She doesn't deserve this..."_

 _"She injured a Pro Hero, at least a dozen civilians, leveled two blocks of houses and killed three people." The Doctor countered, "I'm not trying to argue, but you can't expect anyone to go easy on her after that, besides... With everything that's happened, what are the chances she is stable enough for a normal life?" Before he stopped, took a deep breath and sighed, looking back down at his papers, "Maybe it would have been better if her father had died as well... At least that would prevent him from trying to make contact or claim her."_

 _"We have a chance here," All Might replied quickly, looking back at the doctor, "To give her a better life," He pressed, mind racing to find a solution, "I have to do something, ANYTHING!"_

 _"I know you're upset All Might, but how do you plan to help her now?"_

 _Looking back to the girl on the table, All Might knew the answer, even if he didn't have a plan, "No matter what happens... I'm going to save you."_

 **. . .**

 **Present Day**

"It was a slow process, but I convinced them to remove the guards, and take you off the sedatives keeping you under." All Might explained, head hanging low in shame, "I started trying to speak with you the moment you woke up... For so long you were quiet, you didn't know what to think of me."

Ryou stood in silence, letting him speak as she processed everything he was saying. Unsure what to feel anymore...

"I wanted to save you," All Might said sadly, "I had to save you... But, the doctor was right, it would be impossible for Rin Chikara to live a normal life or escape the legal ramifications publicly, or even avoid any chance of your father trying to seek you out... It took more than a few favors to put you in my care."

"That's why you urged me to change my name, after you got me far away from Dokuga..." She muttered grimly, putting the pieces together slowly.

"I thought, if I could give you a chance at a new life, you would be happier." He explained, shaking his head, "I tried to make it clear that what happened was an accident, something that you shouldn't blame yourself for. something to bury in the past and I failed..." He slowly looked back up at her, "I thought UA would change things, but it seems to have only made things harder on you... I wish I'd said something sooner."

"All Might I..." No, she couldn't think of anything to say. She drew a complete blank while staring at the man. In this moment, after so much turmoil, and inner struggle... She didn't just not know what to feel, she felt nothing, "I... I have to go."

And All Might's response was silent acceptance, knowing he could say nothing to fix things. Despite everything, this was the most powerless he'd felt a long time.

And he silently hoped, that Ryou could find her way forward...


	48. Anger, Frustration, Closure?

**Friday**

The schedule for Friday and Saturday were far more forgiving. Only demanding that Ryou and Adachi come in around the afternoon and work until the evening. Though, according to Midoriya, his schedule with Sir Nighteye wasn't anything like this, even Kirishima's was much more sporadic. While Ryou and Adachi were working like it was a job, Midoriya and Kirishima were only called out on specific days. Maybe it said something about how DK viewed hero work? Or maybe just how he wanted to introduce them more into it.

But that was hardly the focus of Adachi's thoughts, as he walked along the road towards DK's Agency beside Ryou. The girl wearing an expression he wasn't sure he'd ever seen on her face before, "Hey uh... Are you doing alright? You look a little... Out of it."

It wasn't that she really had some strange look... It was that her face wasn't making any expression at all. Usually she was some kind of beacon of emotion, vibrant and lively but now she just appeared... Aloof? "Doing great." She answered simply, and didn't give him any more than that.

 _"Well that's certainly convincing..."_ Adachi internally sighed, "Are you sure? If somethings wrong I could-"

"What? Spout some optimistic garbage to try and make me feel better?" Her voice dripped with venom, "No thanks." The boy didn't realize, that after mulling over the truth for a short while, Ryou's lack of emotions had been replaced with frustration, anger. She wanted answers, and wasn't going to calm down until she had them.

Adachi was visibly shocked by her words, having never heard anything so... Vicious, come from her mouth. But that only solidified his fear that something had happened, "Hey!" He grabbed her arm, stopping her from walking.

But rather than stop, she used her incredibly strength to yank him right off his feet and into the air in front of her so they were face to face, "Let me be perfectly clear and say that I'm not in the mood to talk, I don't want advice, and I've got stuff I'm trying to deal with right now because its not every day you find out that the person you trust most has been LYING to you for YEARS!"

Adachi flinched as a burst of energy escaped her, "R-Ryou I was just-"

"I don't care!" Another burst gusting around her as she cut him off, "In case I haven't made it clear, I'm a little UNSTABLE at the moment!" She shouted, dropping him on his ass roughly, "So just shut up, and leave me alone or this is gonna be a long day... Are we clear?"

Adachi's eyes were narrowed up at her, not sure where this was coming from but he wasn't about to back down, "No, we're not." He said, standing back up and holding her gaze, "So I hope you're ready for a long day." He didn't care how frustrated she was, lashing out wasn't going to solve anything and Adachi couldn't just ignore a friend in need.

He could practically feel her grinding her teeth, as Ryou scoffed and walked past him, "You should learn to mind your own business." She grumbled in annoyance, continuing on her way to DK's.

And Adachi followed in silence, trying to figure out exactly what was bugging her. What might have possibly happened in the last two days that could have triggered such a drastic change in attitude...

 **. . .**

"Come on! You have to let me help!"

"Absolutely not, you didn't get your license so it wouldn't even be legal!"

It seemed Ryou and Adachi weren't the only ones having a rough day, as they entered the Agency only to be met with shouting. One of the voices was DK's, and the other was one Adachi had really hoped not to run into out here...

"You can authorize me temporarily can't you!? Come on!" Ganta pleaded, following his father as he walked back to his desk, "You've been on this for weeks, I want to help you!"

DK was about to respond, before he spotted his interns arriving, "Good, you're here... Ganta, go home, I've got work to do."

The sons eyes darted to Ryou and Adachi, narrowing sharply on the lizard in particular, "HE is one of your interns!? What were you thinking!? He's the reason I don't have a license!"

"From what you told me, you temper is the reason you don't have a license," DK answered him quickly, "The boy came down here with honest intentions, so I had no plans to turn him away, now go."

Clenching his fists, Ganta bit his tongue and stormed out, his anger felt by all in the room. And as he disappeared, Adachi sighed heavily, "Why is everyone so mad at me today?"

Ryou rolled her eyes, "Maybe its your face."

"Okay I know you're in a mood right now," Adachi crossed his arms, "But that was just rude."

"Enough chit chat you two," DK interrupted, turning and heading over to his desk, "We've got work to do... Now that you've got the lay of the land, its time we turn focus to something I've been investigating for the last few weeks." He explained eagerly, "There is a truck leaving-"

"Before we get started I have a question for you DK," Ryou spoke up suddenly, her voice was steady but there was certain anger in her eyes, "About what happened Three years ago."

DK blinked as he registered her question, eyes darting to Adachi briefly, "Very well... If you're fine with present company hearing, I will answer anything."

"I don't care about that anymore," Ryou said sharply, "I just want answers."

"Wait wait wait," Adachi's eyes were jumping between, as he stumbled around in confusion, "What are you talking about? Three years ago? Do you mean the bombing?"

"Listen and you might learn something," Ryou spat, before turning her attention to DK once again, "My father, is he still alive?"

"Of course he is," DK scoffed, before blinking, "Wait... Did you think you killed your-" He stopped and sighed bringing a hand up to his face, "All Might, what on earth did you tell this girl?"

 _"Killed?"_ Adachi listened, trying to keep track of every detail, _"What are they talking about? Did... Did Ryou have something to do with-"_ His thoughts were cut off by something Ryou said to him a long time ago.

 _"My situation before UA was... Complicated... Let's just say, I didn't do a whole lot of smiling before I came to UA."_

Adachi swallowed dryly, _"Is Ryou... From here? Was she there when it happened? The bombing?"_

"Then WHO did I kill!?" Ryou demanded suddenly, raising her voice, "I spent the last three years thinking I blew my parents to dust, and just yesterday I finally find out that My father killed my mother, and I didn't even kill him either!? I want answers NOW! What happened that night!? You were there weren't you?" Ryou questioned sharply, "All Might said I injured a pro hero, you've got those scars and you said you felt my Quirk before, so it must have been you!" Her veins were flickering through her skin as her heart raced, showing her instability as faint sparks escaped her while Adachi listened to their conversation with growing fear, the dots in his head connecting.

DK held a more serious look at her, realizing the gravity of her situation and what she must have gone through thinking this for so long, "You need to calm down, just breathe." He ordered, holding up a hand to silence what would have been an immediate retort, "I will tell you everything I know about that night, but I'd prefer it if I could do so without needing to replace all my windows again."

Ryou narrowed her eyes at him, before breathing in deeply through her nose and letting out a heavy breath, "Okay..." Her rampant energy spikes fading as her heart rate returned to a more stable level, "The truth, now."

DK nodded his head, "The news said the bombing was caused by a group of criminals? Well, they were at least right about there being criminals on the scene."

 **. . .**

 **Dokuga, Residential Area, Three Years Ago**

 _I was still settling into the district at the time, and had only been working here for a few days. I was still solo at this point because Griffin hadn't made the move down with me yet. It was a night like any other I suppose, but there was a lot more hustle and bustle because All Might was in town. Apparently he'd been tracking a group of notorious human traffickers, three men known for abducting women, children, or just people with interesting Quirks._

 _The police had tracked them to this area, and had reason to believe they were hiding out with someone. While Spitfire and his team kept an eye on the bay making sure nobody escaped via ship, All Might checked one location and I checked another._

 _Unfortunately for me, I found them._

The sound of gunfire was ringing in his ears, panting hotly as he kept a hand clamped down firmly over a bleeding hole in his shoulder, _"Dammit, dammit, dammit this wasn't supposed to go like this, its like they knew I was coming!"_

"Whats the matter hero!?" A shrill voice cried out as the gunfire came to a halt, "Can't handle a few bullets? Too bad it was you that stumbled across us instead of All Might! Can't wait to add your pelt to my wall monkey!"

DK grimaced as he heard the footsteps approaching. He knew only one man was armed with bullets, it was part of his quirk as far as DK could tell. But he still wasn't sure about the other two. He needed a plan right now or he was dead!

Taking a deep breath, he started powering up his Quirk. Muscles swelling a bit as his fur grew denser, "Hnnngh..." He gripped the dumpster he was hiding behind, "You want my pelt, well COME AND GET IT!" He roared, flipping the dumpster and throwing it towards them.

"SHIT!" All three men cried, diving out of the way. The center man, dressed fully in black leather, with thick dreadlocks and ebony skin, held up his hand the moment he was clear. Fingers turning to gun barrels as he prepared to open fire once more.

But his eyes widened when he realized DK had already crossed the distance, "HAAAAAAAAAH!" He bellowed like a great ape, his fur covered fist slamming into the mans jaw before driving him right into the asphalt knocking him out clean.

"Dex! Alright you fucker try this!" Another, scrawny pale skinned man cried out, his big loose sleeves opening as he flung a hand forward. Bone spikes launched from within, aiming right for DK.

"Aaagh!" He cried out in pain, eyes wide as the bone spikes pierced his fur and skin. Taking two in the ribs and one in the back of the shoulder.

"Get him Hoss!" The pale man cried.

Before DK could react, he was run through by a massive swine of a man. He had a fat belly, chunky features and a face resembling a pig with big sharp tusks. He slammed DK into the far wall, knocking the wind out of him and snapping off some of the bone spikes, "Ha! You ain't nothing old man!" He laughed in amusement, driving a knee into his ribs making sure they were broken with a few strikes before throwing him to the ground.

Any resistance DK had left was destroyed as a heavy boot smashed his face into the floor.

After that, his thoughts were a little fuzzy, maybe he was drifting in and out of consciousness. But he remembered being lifted up, face pressed against the a window. His head was spinning, he could hardly keep his thoughts in order. But there was a terrible fear coiling around his heart, as these men toyed with him.

 _"I'm going to die here,"_ He realized, _"I'm going to be killed... Griffin, Ganta, Timari, I'm so sorry..."_

"Some fucking hero you are," The pale man snickered, the image across the way coming more into view as they forced his face against the glass, "Wonder how long that's been going on?"

DK had to focus to clear his eyes, slowly making out what they were talking about. He could see a man, across the street through the window of a small home. He was shouting, a frightened woman was trying to calm him down it looked like. The woman herself already looked like she'd been beaten, with a fat lip and a black eye.

The pig man laughed in amusement, pulling back and pressing DK's face against the glass harder, "Yeah we've been here for two days and that shit has been a nightly show, but hey, they've got a cute daughter... Maybe we'll pick her up before we get out of here." His disgusting jowls flapping as he chuckled, "Cute little girl like that, she'll definitely be worth something..."

"OH and down she goes!" The pale man laughed, as a bottle to the side of the head knocked the woman to the ground. The man was on top of her now, but from here it was hard to make out what was happening.

Until a scream rang out, snapping DK out of his daze, "Hnngh... N-No I... I have to-"

"You don't have to do anything but sit here and bleed out, dipshit." The pig sneered, "Oh! Looks like the little girl has come to save the day, hahah hahahahah!" The two villains began to laugh, as DK's eyes fixated on her.

She couldn't have been any older than twelve or thirteen, she looked so scared. Those eyes, those wide, terrified eyes. But suddenly, DK felt a terrible sense of foreboding, as the house lights began to flicker and she screamed, his fur was standing on end. He didn't know what was about to happen, but every instinct he had was telling him to move NOW!

"GAH!" The pig cried out as DK threw his head back, smashing the mans snout, "Mother FUCKER!"

But the moment his grip was loosened, DK didn't try to fight he just made a run for it. Turning his back on the little girl, her family and even the villains. Before, with a mighty eruption of force, the earth shaking and a massive dome of light.

Everything went dark.

 **. . .**

 **Present Day**

"I awoke in the hospital a few days later," DK explained calmly, "Even just being across the street I suffered a lot of broken bones and third degree burns... The villains weren't so lucky, and ended up dying due to their injuries some hours later, mostly the debris that cut them up... They were on a number of drugs as well, so losing all that blood and the trauma pretty much sealed the deal." DK finished with a shrug.

Ryou stared at the ground, digesting the information, "So... I really did kill people," She muttered, before looking back up at him, "But if it was really that bad... How did my father survive?"

"Well, to be honest we still don't know," DK replied calmly, "The only thing we could figure, after hearing from All Might what had happened to you that night, is that maybe you were trying to protect your Mother, and somehow... I don't know, aimed the blast away from her," He explained, before shaking his head, "Your father was in such close proximity, he might have been spared some of the brunt of it as well but... I guess there's no way of really knowing if you don't remember."

While Ryou remained silent for a moment, thoughts swimming in her head, Adachi had finished processing everything. So much of Ryou's behavior made sense now, the entire reason she had to be called out on using her abilities in the first place at the Festival. No wonder she was so scared, she'd lived the last three years thinking she'd murdered both her parents? Adachi had been afraid to use his Quirk fully after just scaring some of his friends!

Taking a step closer he reached out a hand for her, "Ryou, I'm so sor-"

"Don't you dare pity me." Her eyes snapped to him in an instant, making the boy flinch back, before her gaze returned to DK, "Do you know where my father is?"

DK read her expression carefully, "What do you plan on doing if I give you that information?"

"I'm going to go talk to him."

Adachi swallowed nervously, "Is that really a good idea? It sounds like-"

She cut him off with a dry, cruel scoffing laugh, "I can't believe you still think this has anything to do with you." She turned to face him fully, "Adachi, this is MY problem, and I'm going to solve it my way, you focus on yourself for once." She ordered, before returning attention to the Pro.

"Ryou..." Adachi bit his tongue, knowing she didn't want to hear anything he wanted to say, _"But... This does have something to do with me... You're my friend, aren't you? Why are you acting this way?"_

"I'll take you to him," DK nodded slowly, "But if I see any sign that you're unstable, we're leaving." As he spoke the words, he could feel a bit of apprehension, _"This is going to cut into our time table... I'll see if Griffin can handle things without me."_

"Fair enough."

 **. . .**

After DK and Ryou left, Adachi was stuck out on patrol with Griffin once again. Though, it really wasn't so much a patrol as it was them keeping busy and walking down main street. The bird man hadn't said much, but DK had filled him in apparently. While Adachi was just writhing, trying to figure out how he was supposed to help Ryou even if she didn't want it.

"Kid you've gotta relax," Griffin said suddenly, looking down at him, "You're giving me anxiety with all that bad mojo you've got going on."

Adachi quirked an eyebrow, "Bad mojo?"

"Look, DK is gonna get your friend aaall sorted out, he's pretty good at that kinda stuff... Sometimes." He shrugged, as they turned another corner, "So don't worry about it!"

Adachi sighed heavily, "Easier said than done... So, how did you end up working with DK? Compared to him, you're pretty laid back." Doing anything he could to keep his mind off things, distract himself from the gnawing thoughts.

"Well you aren't wrong, DK is a real hard ass by comparison," Griffin chuckled in amusement, "But, he's a good guy... Pulled me out of a pretty shitty place in life, and I've been working for him ever since."

"Oh really?" Adachi replied, interest piqued, "You seem a lot younger than him, is he gonna hand over the Agency to you some day?"

"Heh, maybe," Griffin smirked faintly at the idea, "But well, last time I asked him when he was gonna retire, he said he couldn't."

"And why is that?" Adachi asked, wanting to know more about him.

Griffin stopped for a moment, eyes drifting a bit towards the skyline, "I'm not really sure... He just said me-"

 _"My work isn't finished yet."_

 **. . .**

The trip wasn't very long, maybe twenty or thirty minutes of driving into the furthest areas of downtown Dokuga. A messy, unkempt series of buildings and shacks. This was where most of the homeless people gathered, a part of the city that had been abandoned a couple years ago after flooding ruined a lot of the structural stability and power grid. Though, they didn't seem spiteful of their living arrangements, and many gave thankful smiles and polite greetings to the Heroes on their arrival.

But Ryou was in no mood for pleasantries and made sure DK understood that. The two wasted no time, delving deep into the empty blocks. It wasn't long before they came upon an abandoned warehouse. There were a few people hanging around out front, dressed in dirty clothes, a few digging through and separating both bottles or cans to be recycled.

"Hey Daisuke," One of them, a scruffy older man with an unkempt beard, greeted DK, "What brings you out here? And who is this lovely young lady?" His compliment didn't come off as creepy, but like an old man saying hello to a grand daughter.

"An intern," He said simply, "I just looking for Anzo, is he around?"

"Anzo?" The man repeated, quirking an eyebrow, "Uh... Yeah he's around back, probably still nursing his hangover... But he hasn't done anything bad lately, in fact he's been in pretty good spirits since that mess in Kamino Ward..."

Ryou's eyes narrowed at that, _"He always did hate heroes, I'm sure seeing All Might retire made him feel great, bastard..."_

"Thanks, don't worry he's not in trouble," DK answered, leading the way past them and into the building, "Well, not legally anyways."

"Hey," The man stopped them before they could continue, "Any word on our missing people?"

DK shook his head grimly, "Not yet... But I'm following up on a lead later tonight, so I might find something."

As they continued, Ryou quirked an eyebrow, "You didn't say anything about missing people."

"Well I was going to explain that today before well... This."

"Right... Sorry."

After passing through the building, they came upon a sorry sight out back. A dirty looking man sprawled out on a mattress with a few water bottles and a bucket beside him. One look confirmed the bucket was full of vomit, and the man himself looked like an absolute mess. A scruffy, unkempt head of hair, stained clothes and a nasty set of burn scars running down the left side of his face and beneath his shirt. As he rolled around, looking for some relief from his hangover, various empty liquor bottles clanged around him.

Though, most notable was his lack of a right arm, the limb completely missing past the shoulder.

"Hey, Anzo," DK gave him a light kick, making the man jolt slightly, "Come on, get up, you've got a visitor."

"Hnngh? Katou? What the fuck do you want?" The man grumbled, his greasy face twisting a bit as he opened an eye glaring up at him, "I haven't done anything..."

"No, you haven't," DK sighed shaking his head, "But someone is here to see you."

"Well tell them to fuck off, I'm busy." He grunted, rolling over and facing away from them.

Ryou clenched her fist tightly, finally letting something slip out, "I knew you'd be messed up, but this is just pitiful."

His body stiffened slightly, as that faintly familiar voice hit his ears. Rolling over slightly, he began to sit up, staring up at Ryou, "Who are you supposed to be?" He asked suspiciously eyes darting to DK as if searching for answers.

"Rin Chikara," She answered simply, "But I go by Ryou now."

Instantly the man reacted, stumbling back a bit knocking over a few bottles as his eyes widened, "No... No no that's not... You're dead, you died!" He declared, jabbing a finger at her, "What the fuck is this DK?! What kind of sick joke are you playing!?"

"This, is between you and your daughter." DK shrugged, leaning against the wall of the building with his arms crossed.

"Tch, I'm not his daughter." Ryou spat sharply, eyes never leaving him, "You know Anzo, that's one thing we have in common... I spent the last few years thinking I'd killed you and Mom, and you spent them thinking I was dead."

Dots were starting to connect in his head, as the man lowered his eyes, "Hmph... So that's why I wasn't allowed to see the body, why you just tried to get me out there so quickly... You bastards... You had no right to take my daughter-"

"I am NOT your daughter!" Ryou cut him off sharply, a gust escaping her body and visibly startling Anzo, "And they had every right to separate us! If it wasn't for All Might, I'd probably just be another messed up kid in a prison, or maybe even a criminal!"

Anzo slowly rose to his feet, remaining quiet for a moment before looking up at her, "So why are you here? Revenge? Come to gloat because you're living the high life?" Before he held up his shoulder stump, "Or maybe you wanna apologize for taking my fucking arm!?"

But she wasn't about to back down, "As far as I'm concerned, you deserved that... I don't remember much, but I know that was the arm you were choking her with," Ryou answered with equal venom in her voice, "But no, I'm here because I've got a couple years of messed up emotions making it hard for me to grow, and I thought coming here would help me figure things out... Instead I find out All Might was lying to me, you aren't dead, and I only had about a day to figure out exactly what I was going to say to your stupid face when I saw you!"

"All Might the liar huh?" He scoffed, taking some cold amusement in the idea, "So the noble hero is just another piece of shit like everyone else? Good, I'm glad that bastard is being exposed for what he really is!"

"And if he's a bastard what does that make you?" Ryou demanded, voice rising as she spoke, "A man who beat his wife and daughter because you were too stubborn to change when the world asked? Who blamed everyone but himself for how bad things were? Who made a little girl afraid of ever having super powers because she thought you'd hate her more than you already did!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MESSED UP I AM BECAUSE OF YOU!?" Another burst escaped her, this one blowing away the bottles and sending the bucket tumbling down the hill and towards the waterfront, a few nearby windows cracking.

"Ryou..." DK said sternly, reminding her of the terms of this meeting.

"I know I know!" She huffed, taking deep breaths to calm herself, before her eyes returned to the man before her, "So you know what we're going to do? We're going to find some closure, we're going to sit her and talk while I try not to punch you in the face, and hopefully after that I can get over this, and I never have to see you again."

Anzo steadied himself, swallowing dryly before he turned his head away, "Fine... If it means I get to go back to sleep sooner, say whatever you think you need to and leave me alone." Her words had taken a bit of the edge out of his voice.

"Fine by me, just give me a moment to get these thoughts in order." She sighed, rubbing her head, and trying to keep herself calm.

After a moment however, Anzo initiated, "So, the costume, you one of these fucking heroes too?"

"In training, yeah." Ryou answered, crossing her arms, "I have a provisional license now so I can do real work outside of school."

"Tch, what a fucking joke," He scoffed, shaking his head, "Making kids take up jobs so early..."

"Better than beating them." Ryou replied quickly.

"... And whats with the stupid hair? And why are you so big?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow, "You on some fucking steroids or something?"

"No, this one just came with unlocking my power." She explained, "I'm actually really strong, I'd love to show you but I'd hate to lose my license after only just getting it."

DK sighed shaking his head, "Threats Ryou? Really?"

"Well good for you," Anzo grunted, leaning down and grabbing at booze bottles looking for any that weren't empty, "Don't know why you're here then, sounds like you've got everything figured out."

"No, I don't, and unlike you, I'm smart enough to admit that," Ryou replied, finally starting to put the thoughts together properly, "Anzo, Dad, whatever, ever since I left here, I thought I'd killed you and Mom... As much as I hated you for everything, thinking that I'd taken someones life in a moment of anger..." She trailed off, taking a deep breath and keeping a calmer tone, "I was afraid it meant I'd become you, that I'd hurt people around me when I get upset, and so I pretended like everything was fine and put on a smile and tried to make everyone happy."

Anzo didn't reply when she paused, looking out over the water towards the bridge.

"I started to doubt myself, I felt like something was wrong with me, I still do," Ryou shook her head, "I feel like I don't deserve this, I feel like I didn't deserve All Might's help, that I don't deserve the friends I have, that I don't deserve to be standing where I am now... But here I am." She turned slowly as well, staring out over the water, "I came to Dokuga because... I'm tired of being scared, I'm tired of being angry at myself, and I'm tired of crying before I go to sleep, praying I don't have a nightmare and blow up half my class in our dorm rooms... I wanted closure."

DK nodded slowly at that, but kept quiet, _"Most children who suffer abuse from their parents develop terrible inferiority complexes..."_

"I don't really know why I'm here, what I wanted to hear from you or what I wanted to say other than... I'm going to keep trying to move on," Ryou added, finally turning her head back to look at him, "Because I don't want to be the same grumpy, damned, unsalvageable person you were..."

After a moment, Anzo finally spoke, "Is that it?" His own voice lacking emotion.

Ryou took a deep breath of the cool ocean air and sighed, "Yeah, I think so..." She did feel better, like she'd finally gotten something off of her chest but... Something still felt off, "I guess I'll leave you alone now." Ryou had opened up about her fears, and her emotions but... That didn't just make them go away, "Come on DK, lets get out of here."

"Wait," She stopped, as Anzo spoke, "I have one question for you... Why did you decide to become one those fu- Heroes, why did you decide to become a Hero?" He questioned, looking back at her, "Was it to spite me? Because you knew I hated them? Or did All Might push you into it?"

Ryou shook her head, "No... After All Might saved me, and I started to learn about what I could do... I decided I wanted to save people, the same way he saved me." She answered slowly, "I was "safe" the moment they recovered me from that crater... But All Might went even further, and saved my Heart too... I want to save hearts just like he did for me."

"... Hmm..." He grunted after a short pause, looking back towards the water slowly, "What a load of shit..."

With that, Ryou nodded to DK and the two began making their way back, "Goodbye Anzo."

As her footsteps faded away, the man narrowed his eyes sharply, _"Goodbye, Rin."_


	49. The Great Bridge Rumble!

**Ouch, two chapters in and such a cold lack of reception to the arc. Well I guess its good to know where everyone stands on the character, but hopefully things turn around with this chapter lol**

* * *

It was late evening now in Dokuga, the sun had nearly passed completely beyond the horizon and stars could be seen in the sky above. With the clear waters and quiet city it was a beautiful twilight.

But even after his talk with Griffin, he was still worried about her.

All Adachi could think about was Ryou, and whatever she was doing now or what she was thinking. Internally, he was kicking himself for not realizing something was wrong sooner. Wishing he could have helped her in some way, but with things the way they were now he wasn't sure she would speak to him about it. And a part of him worried he'd catalyzed this event by forcing her to show more force during the Sports Festival.

 _"I compared my stupid accident scaring Mina to Ryou killing her parents, I'm such an idiot..."_ Adachi sighed heavily, leaning back on the bench he was sitting at, staring up into the stars above, _"When she gets back from talking to... Her dad, I'll apologize."_

"Hey! Rizado! Look alive!" The voice of Griffin startling him from his thoughts, "Come on, we've got work to do." He said, approaching the boy quickly.

"What? Did something happen?" He asked, rising from his seat ready for action.

"A car accident on the bridge," The red feathered hero explained, tucking away his phone, "Police just called it in, a semi truck got cut off, swerved and crashed into the divider, so we've gotta go direct things and maybe help move the truck out the way to let traffic through." He explained, flapping his wings and lifting off, "Come on!"

"Agh!" Adachi yelped, in one swoop Griffin grabbed him by the shoulders and they were taking off into the sky, "H-Hey! What are you doing!?"

"We wanna get there fast don't we?" He asked with a chuckle, "Come on! Just a quick job and you're done for the night!"

Adachi swallowed nervously, doing his best not to look down as they started crossing the water, "A-Alright... Are there any injured on site?" Noticing how urgent Griffin seemed to be making this out to be.

"None reported, but this is... DK and I were planning to follow up on a lead involving a suspicious vehicle tonight," He explained, reminding Adachi of what DK mentioned earlier, "This accident could throw a wrench into his plans."

It was only a few minutes before they were close enough to the bridge to see what was going on. The massive truck was smashed into the divider in the center of the bridge, police hadn't arrived yet but there were a few people helping the man out of his vehicle. Luckily this late in the evening there weren't many cars crossing the bridge so there wasn't a large back up of traffic.

"Alright everyone!" Griffin called out as they flew down, landing near the scene where he dropped Adachi on his feet, "We appreciate your help, but please get clear of the vehicle for your own safety!" He instructed, "The police are on the way and we'll take it from here." Before turning to Adachi, speaking in a low voice, "This is the truck we were tracking, so we may have caught a break here."

Adachi nodded his head, "Hopefully... That's pretty lucky."

Many of the people started heading back to their cars while Griffin approached the driver to get some details. Adachi was following him, smiling and waving to the people that were happy to see Heroes on the scene. But he caught something in the air and stopped, his nostrils flaring a bit as he inhaled it before his tongue snaked out tasting the air, "What is..." Before his eyes darted to the driver, "Hey, are you injured?"

The man shook his head, "No, no I'm okay, maybe a little banged up."

"Did you have someone else in the vehicle with you?" Adachi questioned confused.

"What? No," He said, shaking his head.

"What are you on about Rizado?" Griffin asked looking back at him.

"I smell blood."

 **. . .**

 _What happened?_

 _I was... Asleep..._

 _Not there, not anymore._

 _Pain?_

 _Side... Pain..._

 _Blood._

 _PAIN!_

 **. . .**

"Blood?" Griffin repeated worriedly, looking back to the man, "You didn't hit anyone did you?"

"What!? N-No I swear I didn't!" He assured, "It was just the divider!"

Griffin narrowed his eyes sharply, "Well I'm gonna check the back." He said, walking quickly towards the back doors on the storage container, _"Was DK right? If he was this is bad!"_

"Wh-What!? I... I believe its just some chemical samples, a few untested drugs," He replied quickly, taking a nervous tone, "Hang on, I'll grab the manifest!"

But before they could reach the door, a new sound rang out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

A voice, a pained, twisted voice. The blood curdling scream made everyone stop in their tracks, eyes darting to the back of the truck. The way it echoed made it sound like it was coming from within. But the screaming wasn't the only thing, soon came a loud crash, metal scraping and the sound of something creaking like the metal back of the storage unit was being bent.

"Get back..." Griffin muttered, a bad feeling rising in his stomach, "EVERYONE GET BACK!"

The people that had been returning to their cars started moving further down the bridge trying to get clear as per the heroes orders. Adachi himself made sure the driver had gotten out of the way before turning back towards the truck. He was just in time to see a pale gray skinned hand tear a hole through the metal casing. Another scream rang out, as two more hands gripped the edges and started stripping away the metal like it was tissue paper.

Griffin was already on his communicator, "DK, we've got some crazy shit going down at the bridge you should get over here right now! We might need some back up!"

"We're already on our way what's going on?!"

"GRAAAAAAAAAGH!" The feral, twisted voice screamed again, before finally breaking free of the confines of the truck.

Adachi's eyes widened in fear, taking in the monster before him, "What the hell is that?!"

"Just get here FAST!"

She stood at least nine feet tall, gender evident in the bare breasts she had on her nude form but otherwise she didn't appear to have any form of genitalia, no nipples either. Her skin was an intimidating steel grey color, and behind her flowed a massive main of spiky white hair that reached down her back all the way to her waist. She had four arms, with well defined muscles covering her exposed form. Her face was one of a mad beast, terrible sharp fangs and glowing yellow eyes in the darkening night around her. But Adachi spotted someone else as well, her left side below her arms was covered in blood, a piece of metal appeared to be embedded in her ribs.

Maybe a result of the crash?

"NAAAAAAAAAAGH!" She threw back her head and screamed, howling into the sky with a booming voice that echoed all around before she jumped down onto the road raising her four arms into the air above her head. As she held them up, all four limbs began trembling below the elbow.

"Rizado MOVE!" Griffin shouted, taking off into the air.

But the boy hesitated for just a moment, watching in awe and terror as this monster slammed her four fists onto the surface of the bridge. A thunderous crash resounded, the asphalt began to break and crack away while the structure itself rocked back and forth. The metal creaking as the intense shock wave rang through it. Adachi was sent tumbling back, rolling across the ground before he snapped out of it and quickly got back to his feet.

 _"This is insane! That monster just shook the bridge with one smash!?"_ He thought, trying to process what kind of villain this was, "This is bad, this is really bad!"

"AAAAAAAAAGH!" She screamed again, throwing her arms around and smashing the road bit by bit. Eventually her hands clenched on the tires of the semi truck, with one mighty turn she pulled it free of the divider and sent it crashing into one of the large wire braces stabilizing the bridge. Making it rock back and forth even harder.

"STOP IT YOU DAMN BEAST!" Griffin shouted at the monster, diving in with his incredible speed.

She turned on him at the sound of his voice, but was only in time to see a scaly bird fist coming into few. The high speed blow knocked her head to the side a bit, but otherwise she didn't budge. Her sharp eyes locking onto him, trying to keep track of him as he swooped back and forth striking her over and over from different angles showing off his impressive speed.

"Hey!" Adachi shouted at her, trying to keep up the distraction hoping Griffin could whittle her down, "Take this! RAPID FIRE!" Opening his mouth, he fired off a barrage of smaller blue fire balls, peppering the monsters face and chest trying to keep her blinded with the bright shots.

The beast couldn't go after Griffin thanks to his speed, not yet anyways, but Adachi was absolutely within her capabilities. And so, even amid the hailstorm of fire, she howled and began charging towards him. Seeing her coming, Adachi did the best he could manage in such a short time and began to transform. Shifting into Croc form, he met her head on.

But he wasn't stupid, after seeing what she'd done to the bridge he wasn't about to try having a power struggle. So he aimed low, diving and driving his shoulder into the bloody wound on her side.

"AAAAAGH!" She cried in pain, snarling before digging in her heels to stop his momentum. Raising both her right fists, they began to tremble just as her arms had done before.

Seeing the attack coming, Adachi brought up both of his arms to catch her by the wrists as the attack came down. On impact, he could feel his dense bones straining to hold it together. The ground beneath his feet was cracking, and her arms were starting to feel heavier and heavier with each passing second along with the force she was applying. His eyes were locked with her own, cringing in pain and baring his fangs as the struggle leaned more into her favor.

 _"So strong! And her arms just keep getting heavier! Is it part of her quirk!?"_ His thoughts getting him nowhere, he had to act! "GRAAAH!" Opening his mouth, he unleashed a swathe of blue flames.

She only felt their sting for a split second, before throwing her knee upward right into his jaw! Slamming his mouth shut and making him stumble back, _"This one..."_ Through the pain that had her enraged her thoughts were starting to become more clear. Processing what was going on around her, brain working faster as the shock from the crash wore off. A new feeling was running through her, mixed with the anger and pain in her side, _"STRONG!"_ Before lunging at him, two arms drawn back on her right side.

Adachi only had time to raise up his own arms to block her. The lariat smashing into both his forearms and sending him flying further down the bridge, closer to the civilians trying to run. But she was relentless, pursuing him even as he hit the ground. Completely ignoring the bird man flying overhead.

The moment he stopped tumbling across the asphalt, the bridge started rocking again, the supports already weakened and starting to crumble more and more by the minute thanks to this monsters rampage. Adachi was rising to his feet when the bridge shook harder, making him lurch a bit. And She took that opportunity, seeing him as the most immediate enemy. The boy only just barely had enough time to bring his arms up to protect himself but on impact he could feel the bones cracking in them.

"Aagh!" He cried out, being sent flying even further now. The lizard man crashed onto the roof of a car, left gasping for breath while the people around him screamed in fear and kept running or tried to move their cars, _"Holy crap... Those punches, that first one was hardly anything compared to the second!"_ He realized, wincing as he moved his arms. He could tell they were damaged, but not broken yet, _"She is augmenting her limbs somehow, it must be how she's damaging the bridge... But even without that augmentation, her strength is insane!"_

"RIZADO!" Griffin cried out over head, "ON YOUR LEFT!"

His eyes darted at the pro heroes command, going wide as he saw a teetering vehicle at the bridges edge. The wheels were spinning, lights flashing as the driver tried desperately to get it back onto the road. _"They're going t-"_

He didn't even finish the thought, Adachi was on his feet racing towards them as fast as he could forgetting entirely about the monster. He reached them just as it began to fully tilt over, "HANG ON!" He cried, grabbing the car by its front end and digging his claws into the metal, "AAAAAGH!" He cried out in pain, the strain on his already damaged arms was terrible, he could almost feel the bones slowly cracking and splintering apart in his forearms. Opening his eyes, he spotted the family within, a man with two little girls in the back seat, "Nngh! H-Hang on! I-Its going to be okay!"

 _"Shit shit SHIT!"_ Griffin's mind was racing, watching as the monster skulked towards Adachi, eyes lighting up like a predator that cornered its prey, "HEY!" He shouted, swooping in to continue his attacks, "FIGHT ME YOU MONSTER!" This time, on impact he raked his talons across her back, breaking skin and drawing blood.

"GAAAH!" She howled in pain, turning on him as she watched him flying off and around her. Her four fists clenched, watching his movements closely.

 _"Dammit! It wasn't supposed to be like this!"_ Griffin internally cursed, _"We thought Forma Gen was just abducted people for testing, not creating a fucking monster! DK_ _you'd better get here soon or we're screwed!"_ The Avian Hero leveled out and braced himself, "FAAAAAALCON! BARRAGE!" Diving in at high speed, straining his body to the limits of what G-Force he could handle, Griffin attacked again and again. Striking her in every weak point possible, hoping to bring her down. Weaving in and out of her range, buying as much time as he could, _"She can't keep up with my speed, at this rate I can wear her down!"_

But no one could have anticipated her intelligence.

 _"So fast..."_ Her muddled thoughts focusing on the bird man now, _"But... Not strong."_ Crouching steadily beneath the barrage, her eyes never leaving him, her body began to tremble all over. He couldn't see while moving at such high speeds, but she'd adjusted. Her eyes were following him now, timing every attack her landed on her, noticing his patterns, tracking him. And just as he made another pass, she went on the attack.

The ground beneath her feet shattered as she launched herself, the beast taking flight with inhuman speed despite her size. And her trajectory put her directly into Griffin's flight path!

The winged Heroe's eyes widened in shock, stunned by her movement, _"Impossible! Did she read my movements!? She... She traced flight path mid combat!?"_

She hit him like a wrecking ball, slamming right into Griffin and carrying him directly into the bridges nearest support cable where she smashed him against it's metal frame. And Adachi could only watch in terror, as Griffin's bloody, broken body was dropped to the street below.

His final thoughts before fading out from the pain, _"She's learning... As she fights..."_

"NO!" He cried out, watching the Pro Hero hit the ground and bounced before going completely still. "GRIFFIN!? GRIFFIN!" Hoping for any kind of response, but the Hero didn't move at all.

The ground shook, as She dropped back down to the bridge, _"Not... Fast... Enough."_ Her yellow eyes landing on Adachi now.

"Aaagh!" One of the children cried out, covering her eyes, "The monster is coming!"

"H-Hang on! We're going to be okay!" The father assured them, leaning back to wrap his arms around the kids, "The Heroes are going to protect us!"

Adachi clenched his teeth, arms burning in pain as he held the vehicle, _"Dammit! I have to do something... ANYTHING! COME ON DAMMIT MOVE!"_ Fighting through the pain, he began to pull the car up slowly, pops and cracks sounding from his arm bones and joints as he did so, "GRAAAAH!" He roared out, pulling the car back into the center of the street, "Ngh! N-Now GO! HURRY!" He shouted, turning all attention to the monster. The family quickly started moving, the father holding both girls in his arms as he began to run away.

Her eyes narrowed on him, as he held a wide arm stance keeping himself between her and the people running away. That look in his eyes, why did it anger her? "Grr... HRAAAH!"

Adachi didn't budge, rather he steeled his resolve, "I don't know why I always get stuck fighting the big scary monsters, but I should be used to it by now." He started tensing up his body, "I don't who you are, where you came or what you want but I am NOT gonna let you hurt anyone else!" The boy doubled over, as his body began to rapidly grow and transform. Adachi was forcing the transformation, it hurt in his battered state but he knew wasting time could mean death at this point.

Her eyes widened slowly, watching his form change into this tall, monstrous beast. Hesitating for a brief moment before that sensation in her chest began to rise again. There was less anger and pain this time, a rush of excitement flowing through her. She was fascinated, wanted to see what this new thing before her could do! She wanted to see if it was strong too!

As he finished his transformation, Adachi threw back his head and roared, **"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"** Thundering into the sky of this quiet night and echoing for miles around.

And then he attacked.

Charging forward at top speed, Adachi lunged and took a swipe at her with two of his front claws. Either attempting to bat her aside or slash at her body with them. But the villain met his attack with her own, swatting away his hands with her incredible strength before jumping up and clocking him right across the jaw with two fists!

Adachi nearly stumbled back, before returning in full force he opened his jaws wide in an attempt to grab a hold of her. Either to crush her body or lock her down either way he wasn't expecting her to grab him by the jaws as he closed in. And he certainly wasn't expecting her to begin pushing him back, her muscles burning and clawed feet digging into the asphalt.

 _"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"_ He mentally cursed, as her grip on his jaws started to become bone crushingly tight, _"Alright FINE!"_

Her eyebrow furrowed, as she heard him sharply intake air through his open maw. But she suddenly realized why, as a bright light began emanating from his throat!

"AAAGH!" She cried in pain, as the beam of heat burned into her at point blank range. Her grip loosened for a split second, before tightening even harder, _"Strong! VERY STRONG!"_

Adachi was looking right into her eyes, and he could see the pain she felt from his attack as water welled up in the corners of them. But he didn't stop, and continued unleashing his fiery blast. He could feel her pulling him, using her incredibly strength to move closer to the bridges edge, _"How is she so strong!? I can't resist her pulling at all its like she weighs a TON!"_

"Hrrnnngh! GAAAH!" She screamed again, digging her claws into the asphalt and her hands into Adachi's muzzle, "HRAAAAAAAAAGH!" Turning sharply, she pulled Adachi right off the ground, slamming him into the edge of the bridge, right through the guard railing.

 _"NO!"_ Her grip was loosening and as he stopped breathing his flames, she let go, _"I won't go ALONE!"_ Lashing out, just as his body went over the edge, he snapped his jaws shut around two of her arms!

"Agh! NHAAAAH!" She cried out, being pulled right over the edge with him before having any time to react.

And with nothing stopping them, the two monsters plummeted into the water below. On impact with the surface, debris raining down from the battered bridge pushed him further down, a few hits to the head left him dazed.

In the dark, cold waters, Adachi rose to the surface. He didn't need to breathe thanks to his gills but he need to avoid any more rubble from the damaged bridge. It was dark and hard to see, his eyes could see under water clearly but not in this lighting. He started swimming towards one of the support bases, wincing in pain he moved. From the feel of it, something was embedded in his side, likely part of the railing he'd been sent through.

Using all his legs, Adachi pulled himself out of the water, _"H-Holy crap... That thing was insane,"_ He thought, processing everything that had happened as rested against the bridge support, _"I don't see her... Maybe she can't swim?"_

And almost immediately, the universe reminded him of how foolish he was. As the surface of the water burst open, and a familiar form lunged at him "AAAAAAAAAGH!" She screamed like a mad beast, her body battered bruised and burnt from the fighting so far. But her eyes were wide with excitement, a feral, toothy grin on her face as she went on the attack once again.

 _"DAMMIT!"_ Adachi reared back, gritting his teeth, _"Just STAY DOWN!"_ He opened his maw wide, unleashing another blazing torrent of fire. This time, hitting her right in the chest again but she had no way to brace herself. Given Adachi's height, the attack hit her at an angle, forcing her back down. She was blasted right into the water, steam and bubbles instantly rising as it boiled on impact with Adachi's heat ray. He kept it up for a moment, wanting to force her down as far as she could go before the boy was forced to stop the attack.

His stamina was running dry, his body ached. But he couldn't change back just yet, looking to his side he reached back with his head. Gripping the metal spike embedded in his midsection with his jaws, he pulled it free with a hiss of pain. Blood ran from the wound, but he couldn't do much about that now. From the sound of things up top, the police had already arrived.

So the boy laid down, slowly changing back to his small form. Processing what had just happened, what that thing was and-

 _"Griffin... Please be okay."_

 **. . .**

It was only an hour later that things had begun to quiet down.

Adachi was recovered from the water, and police were all over investigating what had happened. Spitfire had arrived with his sidekicks just after the battle ended, and after making sure Griffin was taken to the nearest hospital, had deployed his sidekicks to search for any sign of the monster by air. While he and DK returned to his Agency to monitor the situation with police.

And now, Ryou was here.

Standing in the middle of a hospital, waiting to hear if Griffin would even survive, and if Adachi would be okay. He had been barely conscious when they found him due to blood loss. He was rushed to the hospital right alongside the Pro Hero.

Griffin's situation was far worse, the hero was sitting on the verge of death as it stood right now. She'd heard that Recovery Girl was on her way out here to see him, but he might not even survive the time it would take her arrive. His body had been utterly crushed, bones smashed and organs damaged, his wings were nearly broken off from the impact, barely held together by what remained of the ligaments where they connected. If it hadn't been for his sturdy frame, he would have died in impact.

 _"Why does this keep happening?"_ She asked herself, staring at the ground while waiting for the doctors to finish working on her friend, _"If I'd been there... Maybe I could have done something, I might have been able t-"_

Her words hitched as the doors to the room opened and doctors began walking out, "Well that went better than expected." One of them muttered, idly chatting with another doctor.

Ryou quickly stood up, "Is he alright?"

"Oh yeah the kids fine," The doctors assured, "He just needs some rest, we numbed the wound and got ready to stitch him up but the wound was already closing pretty rapidly, kids got an impressive Quirk." He chuckled, "The skins healed completely so the bleeding has stopped, his body will need some time to take care of everything inside that was damaged, he's asleep now though, you can see him just don't wake him up."

Ryou nodded, "Thank you." Quickly moving past him and towards the door. Making her way inside she stopped, seeing Adachi laying still on the bed. His eyes were partially opened, but he looked dazed, "Adachi..." All she could think about was the way she'd acted earlier, the things she'd said to him. And now, seeing him like this? "I'm such a jerk... You just wanted to help me but-" She clenched her fists, a few tears welling up, "All I could think about was him..."

 **. . .**

"Expand the search area, keep a watch on the shore we can't have this thing wandering the streets." Police chief Migato ordered, giving out commands over the radio while looking over the various screens before him.

"What have you got from Forma-Gen?" DK questioned, his tone demanding and sharp. After seeing the state of his partner, he was already in a bad mood and looking for someone to blame, "Have they said anything? That thing came out of one of their trucks after all!"

"Firefly found a supply manifest for the truck," Spitfire chimed in, bringing up the image she'd sent in, "We ran it through our system and found it its a forgery, could someone have been trying to use it to get into Form-Gen?" He suggested.

"Maybe, we'll keep all options open for now." The chief answered, "Whats the status on the driver? Has anyone found him yet?!"

"No sign of him since he fled the scene of the bridge." Another officer added, "But we'll keep looking."

"We should be searching their entire building!" DK barked loudly, slamming a fist onto the table, "We've all seen the Noumu on TV, making genetic monstrosities is NOT hard to do apparently, and Forma-Gen works entirely in Genetic research! For all we know these bastards have been MAKING the Noumu for the League of Villains!"

"I'm not saying they aren't the prime suspect," Migato answered quickly, "We're already getting a warrant, they'll have officers searching the building before morning."

"Spitfire! Sir! I think I've got something!" A female voice cried out over his communicator, loud enough for everyone to here.

The Hero himself quickly grabbed it from his belt, "Say again Firefly? I'm here with DK and the Police Chief, if you found that monster tell us and we'll be right there!"

"... Oh... Whoops, sorry it was just more debris from the bridge, false alarm."

Spitfire sighed heavily, shaking his head, "Its alright, just keep searching."

"Yes sir."

DK grunted in annoyance, crossing his arms, "We aren't getting anywhere here."

The Chief looked to DK and sighed, rubbing his eyes before placing a hand on his shoulder, "Look, you're pissed off, why don't you head over to the hospital and keep an eye on things there? We'll call you if something comes up."

DK narrowed his eyes sharply, nodding begrudgingly, "Fine..."

 **. . .**

Adachi opened his eyes with a gasp, jolting awake from his sleep only to see sunlight flooding in from the nearby window. It was already morning, the morning after what happened on the bridge. Though he was still tired, Adachi could tell his body had done its work and healed up his injuries, but the spot in his side where he'd been pierced by the railing was still pretty sore.

Looking over, he spotted Ryou sleeping in the chair near his bed. Smiling faintly, Adachi sat up to get out of bed, "Tssst!" He hissed, the pain in his side spiking for a moment.

"Hnngh?" Ryou slowly opened her eyes to the sound, rubbing them for a moment before spotting him, "A-Adachi! You're awake!" She said, quickly getting up and moving to his side, "Are you alright, do you need help?"

That same attitude he'd heard in her voice was gone, "N-No I'm fine, just a little sore." He assured, looking down at his hands for a moment, _"Even so... Is she really just okay now?"_

Ryou sighed in relief, "That's good to hear." Before taking a step back, "Adachi I... I'm sorry, I'm a grade A idiot, you were just trying to help and I pushed you away..."

Adachi smiled faintly, "Hey, don't worry about it... I'm sorry too, I'm your friend but I never realized you were going through this." He said sadly, "Did you... Get that all sorted out?" He dared to ask.

Ryou nodded her head, "Yeah, I said everything I needed to... And I feel a lot better now," Her cheeks flushed lightly as she had an afterthought, "And uh... Thanks," Ryou pulled him into a gentle hug, "For sticking by me, even when I had my head up my own ass."

Adachi chuckled at that, patting her on the back before she broke the hug, "Hey you know me, I'm a stubborn bastard."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIX HIM!?" The booming voice of DK sounded across the hall.

Both students looked at one another, before nodding and heading out to see what was going on. Crossing the way, they pulled the door open to see Recovery Girl dealing with an angry monkey. While Griffin laid on a bed nearby, body covered head to toe in bandages, casts and medical equipment.

"I've done all I can to repair his body," The old woman explained in a much calmer tone, "But his body was taken far past the breaking point, he's lucky to just be alive! But after something like this... I'm sorry Griffin, but I don't think you can return to duty with injuries after sustaining this damage." Her gaze shifting back over to the bird man.

"Yeah... Kinda figured when I woke up like this." He muttered weakly, before releasing a heavy sigh.

"Griffin," Adachi said, announcing their presence as the two young heroes approached, "I'm so sorry... If you hadn't been protected me maybe-"

"Stop," He cut him off quickly, "Kid, you are way to young to start having regrets," He added, giving him a weak smile, "I did what I had to, and you saved lives, its not like I'm dead."

Ryou frowned looking over his broken body, "Griffin..."

"Besides," His eyes shifted back to DK, "Just means I don't have to work for this grumpy bastard anymore." He joked, releasing a short, pained laugh.

DK's anger was simmering, as he stared at his partner, "I am going to find out who made that thing, and I'm going to make them pay for this, I promise."

Griffin's smile faded away slowly, as he remembered that Monster, "Daisuke, please... Don't, that monster was beyond anything we've ever faced..."

"Are you telling me to just leave this be!?" DK demanded, raising his voice.

"I'm telling you to stay alive," He replied quickly, "Please, be careful... Unlike me, you've got a family to worry about."

His white knuckle rage was already boiling over, the longer he stared at Griffin the more he wanted to just go tear apart the Forma-Gen building, "I'm leaving... I'll be back later." He said, turning tail and heading out the door.

Ryou and Adachi looked to one another before following behind him, "So what's the plan?" Adachi asked, "Wait for the police to figure out who made that thing and go after them?"

"It had to have something to do with the League right?" Ryou added, "I can tell All Might to call his detective friend once we-"

"No," DK stopped in his tracks, looking back at them, "You two, go back to UA, we're done here."

Adachi went wide eyed, "What!? B-But that monster-"

"Is none of your concern anymore," DK said sharply, looking between them, "You both came down here looking for something, and as far as I've seen you found it, now get out of here, you're fired." Before storming off, leaving them alone in the hall.

Ryou looked down at the ground, knots forming in her stomach, "What are we supposed to do now?"

And honestly, Adachi had no idea, "I guess... We go home."

 **. . .**

Meanwhile, in the underground portion of Forma-Gen labs...

She was laid out on a table, sedatives keeping her unconscious while doctors worked on repairing her body. She had various lacerations, burns and blunt trauma all over her form.

"Hurry it up, we need her back to full strength as soon as possible!" The old doctor ordered, overseeing their work, "Once she's stabilized we'll try to strengthen her body, perhaps I'll weave in some stronger nano-fibers? Something more heat resistant, evidently... What a mess..."

"Hey, nobody could have predicted a drunk asshole driving like an idiot on Friday," Came the voice of Spitfire as he walked up behind him, "Well okay, everybody could probably predict that but, ya know, what I mean to say is shit happens."

"And this proverbial SHIT is going to cost us millions," Doctor Rito spat harshly, "We're lucky those police that searched the building couldn't find this place."

"Hey you said you wanted a field test and I think you got one," Spitfire shrugged, "Even injured she managed to totally destroy that bridge, you may not have the Hero Replacement you wanted but you've got one hell of a weapon."

"Hmm, I would have preferred to test her on villains, but you are right, I cannot argue with results." He nodded his head slowly, "We will leave her on ice for now, once the heat dies down we will continue testing... You'll find the next portion of your payment to hold a bonus for your quick thinking in subverting their suspicions."

Spitfire's lips twisted into a wicked smirk at that, "Aww boss you didn't have to go doing that, but I certainly won't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Now get out of here, I must focus on my work." Rito ordered, narrowing his eyes down at her body, _"This man is everything I hate about heroes, weak, selfish and only interested in money... But until you are ready for the world to see you, he is a necessary evil."_


	50. Downtime, Preparation, Lurking Evil

"I found something might want to take a look at ma'am."

"Hmm? Monster... Attack on bridge... Crippled hero? Now doesn't that just sound fun... Let's keep an eye on this one shall we~?"

"As you say."

 **. . .**

"ADACHI!" The blue scaled boy was jumped the moment he walked through the door, a set of pink arms wrapping around him and lifted him right off his feet, "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Yeah dude you had us scared," Kirishima added, he stood by with a number of other students, "We got up this morning just to hear that a UA student had been hospitalized!"

"We're all happy to see that you're safe." Midoriya chimed in as well with a smile.

"Heh, thanks guys, it was pretty scary but I'm alright." He assured, blushing nervously as Ashido continued carrying him around like a board tucked under her arm, "Can you put me down please?"

"Nnnope!"

"So what happened exactly?" Jiro questioned curiously, "The media didn't get any footage of the monster, just a few messy images on the internet, I guess they arrived kinda late."

"Well, I'm still not quite sure what happened myself." Adachi explained, "But here's how it all went down..."

Explaining the details didn't take too long, the fight wasn't really what they were concerned with, just this new monster that appeared and what it was capable. Just like the police that had interviewed him before he left the Hospital...

"That's so weird..." Midoriya muttered, "That thing, it sounds almost like a Noumu..."

"You said it had boobs?" Mineta chimed in, "How big are we talking he-AAAAGH!" He cried as Jiro stabbed him with an earphone jack.

"Can you not right now?"

Ignoring him, Adachi nodded to Midoriya, "I thought the same thing afterwards, but the more I remember about the fight I think that's wrong... She was way too intelligent to be a Noumu, her eyes actually showed emotion... Maybe a new type of Noumu? I'm not sure."

"All that aside, it sucks DK decided to kick you guys out afterwards," Kirishima added in, scratching the back of his neck as they all moved towards the living room, "Maybe he was just trying to protect you?"

"Maybe, he seemed more angry than worried." Adachi sighed, finally breaking out Mina's grasp much to her annoyance, _"And I can't say I blame him, he just lost his sidekick..."_

"Lets forget about all that!" Ashido urged, trying to stay positive, "Lets get some food and relax, it's Saturday so why don't we try to have some fun?"

"I know what might cheer Adachi up," Kirishima smirked wickedly, "Maybe we should break out some of those old monster movies you've got stashed in your room?"

If his face could change colors, it would be beet red, "N-No we don't need to do that! Those movies aren't even that good!"

"Oh come on watching those cheesy old movies always puts you in a good mood!" Mina teased, throwing her arms around him from behind, "I'll hold him down! Kirishima get the movies! Somebody find Sero! We'll need his tape to make sure Adachi doesn't run away!"

"Exactly what part of this is supposed to be relaxing!?"

 **. . .**

"Hnnngh! GNNNN! AAAAAAGH!" With an explosion of light, Ryou collapsed to the ground, panting heavily and drenched in sweat.

It was nearly curfew now, and ever since returning home she'd gone straight to the TDL and started training. Forcing out her energy and trying her hardest to control it, just doing anything to improve. After what happened with that monster, she wanted to get stronger, and now that she had settled things with her Father she thought now was the time. The wide open space meant she could blow up as she much as she needed, not even her largest blast wave would reach the walls so long as she remained in the center.

The floor however... Well, Cementos could fix that easily enough.

"Gaah! COME ON!" Ryou shouted, forcing herself up and charging her body again. Lights coursed through her veins and her hair was billowing into the wind she kicked up, "Haaaah!" The energy started expelling from her body once again as a dome of light, reaching further and further outward. She held out her hands, trying to control it, trying to invoke any type of will over the energy at all before-

 _"STOP IT! GET AWAY FROM HER!"_

 _ _"I wonder if he'd feel the same if he knew the truth..."__

 _"Maybe you wanna apologize for taking my fucking arm!?"_

"AAAGH!"

Another explosion, and she was on the ground once more. Her muscles were sore from the exertion of energy and her body was hot from the power coursing through her.

Sitting up slowly, she looked down at her trembling hands, _"Why? Why can't I do this!?"_ She clenched her fists tighter before slamming them into the burned ground beside her. Before her eyes slowly drifted to the ruined area around her, memories of the Practical Exam, the Sports Festival and even what she'd done to DK's Agency in Dokuga were fresh in her mind, _"Maybe my Quirk is too unstable to be properly honed... Maybe I'm just not... Not..."_

She could feel a heat rising behind her eyes, as the fears and doubts that had been building up ever since the Festival finally grew louder than a quiet voice in the back of her mind. Before she could fall completely into the darkness of her own mind however, the sound of footsteps got her attention. Turning her head, Ryou saw All Might walking towards her. He saw that look in her face, the watery look in her eyes, and it hurt him.

"Ryou," He came to a stop as she pulled herself up off the ground, "I wanted to... Well, I heard you were blowing the place up, and wanted to make sure you were okay but..." The scrawny blonde man shook his head, "I know you're not..."

Ryou wiped her eyes, "Yeah... I guess that's putting it mildly."

"Want to talk?" All Might asked, putting on a small smile, "I know you're probably still mad at me but-"

"I'm not mad at you," Ryou cut him off, shaking her head, "I'm sorry I stormed out before... And said anything I shouldn't have, I was just frustrated."

All Might nodded, "I understand... And part of that is my fault, I told you before I thought things would change once you started going to UA, but it wasn't just that they didn't change... Its that I _believed_ things were changing."

Ryou looked down at him confused, "What? You mean you just... Didn't notice?"

"Ryou," He took a step forward towards her, "I was so focused on saving you, because you represented the people that I couldn't save by throwing a punch, or flashing a smile... Which is why, when you started to return my smiles, when you started getting stronger... I grabbed onto that feeling, believing you were alright."

"B-But..." Ryou stammered, surprised by his words, "You... You called me out on my fake smiling before!"

"And back then, I thought that was enough," All Might answered her, "But I see now, the same way I used my smile to reassure others, your smile blinded me... You said before that you hadn't really grown since coming to UA? Well that's absolutely not true." He shook his head, "Young Ryou, even if you haven't gained a greater control over your Quirk, you've made friends, built a new family, and taken on every challenge that was thrown at you!"

All Might spread his arms wide in a grandiose manner, while Ryou blushed lightly, not daring to believe the rising optimism in her chest, "That's not... I-I still feel like nothing has changed at all! I-I'm still not... Not good enough!"

"Says who?" All Might questioned, grabbing her by the wrists, "Ryou, I know now, that you have a lot of trouble believing in yourself... Its because of your Father, and what you went through as a child, the way you were treated left you with a messed up sense of self that you never had the chance to resolve..."

"Th-That's..." Ryou looked away nervously, remembering her own words.

 _"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MESSED UP I AM BECAUSE OF YOU!?"_

"That's... Exactly right..."

"Look at me Ryou!" All Might commanded, flashing a big smile at her, "Even if you don't believe in yourself, you believe in me right?! You believe in your friends too?! Well then trust all of us when we say that you ARE good enough, you're better than good, you're amazing!" He shouted, releasing her arms and raising his hands, "So stop doubting yourself! Believe in the me that believes in YOU!"

Ryou lowered her eyes, clenching them shut as she felt the tears welling up all over again, "A-All Might... I-I'll try, I'll try to be the person you want me to be."

"NO!" He said suddenly, bringing his hands down, "Stop being who you think you should be, and just be who you are! Stop trying to control who you want to be, and just be yourself! Release your pent up emotions! Focus all those repressed desires into a single point! And be who YOU want to be!" All Might ordered, still burning with intensity, "Tell me, Young Ryou! Who are you!?"

Something inside of her seemed to click, his words ringing in her ears, _"Stop trying to control it... Focus into a single point..."_

"Haaah!" Ryou's body lit up, sparking with energy as she began activating her Quirk, "I-I..." Gritting her teeth, the gusts of wind started to grow more intense. All Might was forced to brace himself to keep from stumbling back, "I get it..." She said through clenched teeth, _"Controlling the power outside of my body, and keeping it held inside, that's wrong! Instead of trying to keep it all held back at once-"_

All Might didn't understand what she was doing, until he saw the power coursing through her body begin to dim throughout her form. All except for one area! "Yes... That's it Ryou! DO IT!" The gusts of wind were being pulled back in, the energy returning to Ryou's body!

 _"I can create openings! Let the power surging through me expel in the direction I want it to!"_ She raised her left arm, high into the air with an open palm. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before-

The floor beneath her feet dented inward, and her arm snapped back, the young hero stumbling. As a thunder clap sounded through the air, a blast of pure force was released from her hand. No massive shock wave, no bursts of wind shaking the room, no violent pulses of energy rocking the foundation. She released all that energy, in a single, straightforward burst right into the sky!

The shattering of glass sounded, as she blew a hole clear through the training area's roof, but otherwise the damage was minimal.

Bringing her hand down, Ryou looked at her glowing left arm. The pulsing light was starting to fade away, her arm was throbbing with pain in some areas, but numb in others. She could tell something had been damaged from the forceful release, but even so this was far more progress than she'd made in the last few weeks!

"So, Rinsuke Ryou," All Might spoke up as her glow faded, a proud grin clear on his face, "What do you call that new move of yours?"

Seeing that look on his face, her chest swelled with pride in a way she had never felt before. Like some incredible weight had lifted off her shoulders, a big grin spread across her lips, "I'm thinking, something like... The Megaton Canon!"

 **. . .**

The next week was one of apprehension, events and anxiety.

After what had happened in Dokuga, many expected the League of Villains to be involved. And when no traces of the monster that broke Griffin were found, Forma-Gen was giving an all clear. The public accepted the theory that the League was trying to smuggle that villain into their building. This claim was only supported when the driver of the truck was found dead not far outside the city...

In that time, neither Ryou nor Adachi heard anything from DK. Even though Adachi tried calling him every day.

Kirishima ended up making the news, his name "Red Riot" was all over the internet after he stopped some criminals with his new move, "Red Riot Unbreakable". He was getting praise from everyone, and the rest of the class was more than impressed with his new ability.

Of course, what came next was both an incredible event and a scary reminder of the growing darkness.

Midoriya, Asui, Kirishima and Uraraka all took part in a raid on a Yakuza Hideout. Along with a number of other high profile heroes including Ryukyu, they took down the entire gang and rescued a young girl with a strange Quirk. Amid the fighting however, Togata Mirio lost the ability to use his Quirk. And the Pro Hero Nighteye, former sidekick to All Might, was fatally wounded.

Midoriya had been all over TV during the event and afterwards, giving his incredible battle with Overhaul, the Yakuza leader. Most of the class had watched the battle live on television as it happened and were awestruck by his power. And when everyone finally came home, Class 1-A shared all the support they could hoping that they hadn't been traumatized by the event.

That was just a few hours ago...

At the moment, Adachi was looking to corner his friend as he left the bathroom. The two hadn't really had a talk since before All Might's retirement, and with all the crazy stuff that had happened recently Adachi figured this was as good a time as any.

"Hey, got a second?" The blue lizard boy asked with a smile the moment Kirishima stepped out.

"Huh? Oh uh, sure, what's up?"

After making their way back to his room and closing the door, the two took a seat. Adachi in the computer chair by the desk and Kirishima on his bed, luckily the punching bag was only slightly in the way.

"So what's up?" Kirishima asked curiously, "Need to vent a little?"

"Eh, I don't know, maybe." Adachi shrugged, "I was thinking about it and well, with all the crazy stuff that's happened recently I realized you and I haven't just... I don't know, broed down like we used to." He explained.

Earning a slight chuckle from Kirishima, "Yeah, certainly not like before UA, or even before the Sports Festival... Feels weird now that you mention it."

"I've been so twisted up about all this hero stuff lately, I kinda forget and we're still just stupid teenagers." Adachi chuckled lightly, "I think I could use more times like this to loosen up and forget about Hero stuff ya know?"

The red head grinned suddenly, "We should try to set aside a day, at least once a week, were we do stupid manly stuff together!" Kirishima declared eagerly.

Adachi smirked at that, "Like working out?"

"Yeah but not like our Quirk class working out, I'm talking about lifting weights until we puke!" Kirishima stated, rising up from his seat.

His enthusiasm was infectious, Adachi found himself thinking of stupid ideas as well, "And going to the arcade! After we hit the buffet and eat till we puke too!"

"And I want more sparring too!" He added, hardening his arms, "Now that I've got Unbreakable, I wanna see if I can beat you! I told you we'd have a rematch after combat training didn't I?"

Adachi blinked in surprise, "Wow, I can't believe you remembered that, it feels like that was so long ago..."

"Yeah because it was," Kirishima grinned, holding out a hand, "We're totally different people now, and lets keep growing together! AND KICKING ASS!"

Adachi nodded his head, taking Kirishima's hand and giving him a firm shake, "Yeah, you're right, we are different now, and we're gonna keep growing! You know what, I'm sick of waiting! Tomorrow I'm gonna march right down to DK's Agency, and demand to be apart of his investigation!"

"YEAH! That's the spirit!"

"Get ready Kirishima, because MY face is gonna be the next one all over the news!"

 **. . .**

A thunderous explosion in the training area rocked the building, as Ryou dug in her heels stopping herself from being pushed back. As soon as the blast petered out, breaking against the stone wall Cementos had been kind enough to supply her with, Ryou nodded, "Perfect."

"R-Really?" The timid voice of Miki spoke up, as she approached, "Its only my first design, it could still use some tinkering I bet but-"

"No no, this is great," Ryou assured, holding up her left arm. Woven into her hero costume, she now had a full sleeve attaching her main suit to the glove. It had several new bands on it, blue fabrics coating mechanical braces to help with her new move, "My arm isn't numb like it was before, those shock absorbers are working just like you predicted." She explained, "I should be able to use my new move without harming myself at all now!"

Miki chest swelled with pride, "Oh that's wonderful to hear! I'm so glad my design worked out for you." She beamed, "That new attack of yours is incredible!"

"Hey Miki," Ryou said calmly, smiling at her as she approached, "Thanks, for all the help you've given me." Before pulling her into a hug, taking the shorter girl right off her feet.

Her eyes widened, face turning a deep shade of red as Ryou's powerful arms wrapped around her, "I-I-I-I-" And she could do nothing but stammer like an idiot in response.

"Right, sorry," Ryou laughed nervously, blushing as she put her down, "I kinda forget that not everyone is like me... But I do really appreciate the help you've given me, with redesigning my costume and building me these new items." She explained, rubbing the back of her neck, "I'll have to take you out to dinner sometime to pay you back."

Miki felt her heart skip a beat, eyes widening slightly, "D-Dinner? Dinner with... You?"

Before Ryou realized what she might be saying, and waved her arms, "N-No I didn't mean like that I mean like... J-Just as friends! I-I would never assume that you-"

Miki stopped her by taking one of Ryou's hands, "Thank you Ryou, that sounds fun, a-as friends." She added.

"R-Right, of course."

 **. . .**

The next morning, Adachi awoke with fire in his eyes. He started getting ready immediately, it was Saturday so he had the free time. He was gonna head right down to DK's Agency and give him a piece of his mind. Make it clear that HE was a hero too! And he wanted to help catch whoever was making this new kind of monster! He didn't care if DK was worried about him, he was going to-

 ***Bzzzzt***

He'd just finished brushing his teeth when his phone began to buzz. Quirking an eyebrow, he saw it was a phone call from, "DK? Hello?" The boy quickly answered, getting everything he wanted to say in order, "Listen, I-"

"No time to chit chat!" The monkey man interrupted, abrasive as ever, "I already called Ryou, get your shit together and get down here ASAP!"

"Wh-What?!" Adachi blinked, "But... But you fired us!"

"Yeah but I never actually did the paper work to confirm that so... See ya soon!"

And then he hung up.

Adachi stared at the phone stunned, "B-But I was... Gonna make a point and stand up for myself and... Dammit!"

His plotted vengeance ruined, he turned his thoughts to the day ahead and quickly got his things together before heading down to the station. Thinking ahead to what might happen once he was back in Dokuga, he was both apprehensive and determined. He was well aware this could mean fighting that monster again but... Strangely enough, he was looking forward to round two.

"Hey Adachi!" Ryou waved, wearing a big smile on her face. The kind of smile he felt like he hadn't seen in some time, "DK called you too huh? Think he's gonna let us in on the investigation?"

Adachi nodded slowly, still confused, "Yeah probably... You seem like you're in a good mood, something happen?"

Ryou laughed in response, "Yeah actually! I finally made some headway with my Quirk, and even developed a new move to go along with it!"

"That's great," Adachi grinned in response, "I'm glad you figured it out, I'm sure it'll come in handy." He added, as they made their way towards the train.

While they continued chatting on the commute, a pair of unwanted eyes were tracking them. A hand activating a small communication device, "They're heading for the train now."

"Excellent..."

 **. . .**

Daito stood over the body of their Monster, his thin body and pale skin showing how often he was actually out of the lab, and his sunken eyes showed how little sleep he actually got. But none of that mattered, all that mattered was completing Dr. Rito's dream. And Daito's part was crucial, making sure Her mind was stable and properly programmed with the information they'd built up.

They were so close now, she was practically finished. Even if she hadn't turned out exactly how they wanted, no one could argue with the test results.

Though her speed was limited, her physical strength was far beyond human levels. Amplified by her powerful Quirk, with the right guidance she was a living force of nature.

But how many bodies did it take to get this far? Brief feelings of doubt that this was truly the right thing to do often hung in the back of his mind. But Daito was resolute, he would do whatever it took to see that this malformed, twisted aberration of their goal was brought to fruition.

If they could not create a powerful, beautiful caregiver to defend their society from evil. They would unleash a terrifying monster that all villains would learn to fear instead...

 **. . .**

The train wasn't very full at this time of day, not yet anyways. It was only just hitting its first stop after Adachi and Ryou had gotten on taken their seats. Though they were tired, neither were planning on sleeping on this ride. Thoughts on what might be ahead of them today were keeping them anxious. They kept their cases close at hand as a few more people stepped into their segment of the train.

Adachi was staring out the window, not paying much attention as he remained deep in thought. While Ryou was idly messing with her Quirk, sparking a bit of energy between her fingers. She'd been using the small exercise to work on managing releasing her power in more controlled ways. She couldn't exactly control power leaving her body, just aim it, for now at least, she had a few ideas on new Quirk applications.

"Hey!" Adachi nearly jumped, as a hand slapped down on his shoulder and a familiar voice sounded, "Buddy! It's been so long! I can't believe I'm running into you here of all places..." Ryou blinked, before her eyes landed on her and her blood ran cold, power vanishing instantly.

Adachi's body stiffened, as he looked up at her, that mad woman he'd run into during his field training, "Z-Zod-"

"Ah!" She placed a finger on his lips, silencing him, "Now now no need to go causing a stir... Call me Kasumi." She offered, smirking as she worked her way into the seat between the two young heroes. The Zodiac was dressed completely different, wearing casual clothes to fit in with everyone else. And it made sense, most people had only seen her on TV wearing that mask. She had a small bag on hand, and kept it close to her side between herself and Adachi, "My friends are around as well, so play nice or everyone here dies." She whispered, just loud enough for Ryou and Adachi to hear, motioning towards a large man in a trench coat at the far end of the cabin.

 _"Fenix."_ Adachi realized, eyes widening as he imagined the mans flames tearing through all these people, "A-Alright... What do you want?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

"You've met some very interesting people recently," Kasumi said calmly, smirking as she rested an arm around each of them, "One in particular has piqued my interest."

Ryou quirked an eyebrow, looking to Adachi, "You mean... That monster on the bridge?"

"Monster is such a crude term," Kasumi chuckled in amusement, gripping Ryou's shoulder tighter, "I prefer, misunderstood... I want to know more about it, and you have the details, don't you Kaiji?"

"A-And why do you want to know?" Adachi dared to question, keeping relatively calm. He knew the Zodiac was a maniac, but she had a method to her madness. Nothing could be gained from starting a fight here.

"Well, in case I didn't make it abundantly clear by attacking All For One," Kasumi narrowed her eyes sharply at the very mention of his name, "I am not on good terms with the League of Villains, and while you heroes fumble around for leads I'm getting ready to wage war." She explained quietly, turning away any suspicious looks other passengers gave with her deadly gaze, "But for that, I need more pieces on the board..."

"You want to use that thing?" Ryou muttered, eyes wide.

"Why would I help you then?" Adachi questioned, hands clenching to fists, "That monster, it crippled Griffin, nearly killed me... Why would I want you to have it?"

"Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend," She answered simply, "The League won't last long with two enemies, that's the price they've paid in making themselves the center of attention in the underworld... And, you'll give me the information I want, or Vector turns the next cabin over into a bloodbath, your choice."

He hesitated for a moment, before releasing a heavy sigh, _"I can't risk it..."_ Looking back to her, he began speaking, "She had incredible strength, and some kind of augmentation Quirk." He explained, "I'm not sure what it was, but its almost like her body was getting heavier... She had four arms, a wild mane of white hair, steel grey skin..."

"She sounds absolutely beautiful," Kasumi smirked, licking her lips, "And she tore that bridge apart... How impressive... And her intelligence? Are we talking about a real living being or a mindless doll like the Noumu?" Adachi took a moment to consider whether or not he should give that information, before he felt her hand grip his neck from behind, "Don't hold out on my now, I am not a patient woman..."

"Okay okay..." Adachi said, swallowing dryly, "Yes, she was intelligent, I could... I could see it in her eyes... She had thoughts and emotions."

"That's a good boy, here." She reached into her bag and pulled out a small envelope, placing it in Adachi's lap, "Give that to DK when you see him... It should be sufficient payment."

Adachi's eyes narrowed, "I don't want your money!" He hissed, doing his best to keep his voice low.

"Money?" She repeated, before chuckling in amusement, "No no, that is far more valuable..." Before she rose from the seat, "And with that, I will leave you to your day."

She only managed a few steps, before Adachi grabbed her hand. Instantly Fenix took a step towards them, but Kasumi stopped him with a calm look, "Wait, we aren't done."

"Oh?" Zodiac smirked, Ryou watching Adachi confused as well, "Interesting that you think you're in charge of this situation."

 _"Maybe it was for the wrong reasons, but in that moment she wasn't a villain... She was just another person that wanted to see a great evil destroyed."_

With All Might's words in mind, Adachi took a deep breath and stared into her eyes, "I don't know what you're planning, and I don't agree with anything you've done... But, thanks to All Might, I think I understand you in some regard," He explained, not breaking eye contact, "Even so, the next time we meet... If I'm wearing this costume," His free hand gripped the handle of his case, "I will stop you."

Her smirk turned to a different kind of smile, one Adachi wasn't quite sure he recognized, perhaps pride?

"I look forward to seeing you try."


	51. Flash Point, League of Villains Attack!

"You need to go home," DK grunted, ignoring the pestering child beside him as he looked over a few papers, "I'm going to be running a meeting here."

"Can't you just let me help you?" Ganta questioned insistently, "Dad, you can't do this, not alone... Just, tell me SOMETHING I can do to help you!"

DK inhaled sharply and released a sigh, placing a hand on Ganta's shoulder, "You can stay safe, and look after your Mother, if something goes wrong she'll need you." He instructed, as the door across the room opened.

In stepped the three he was waiting for, as Ryou, Adachi and the Dokuga Chief of Police Migato walked inside. The three all sharing curious looks as they approached DK and his son, the boy shooting a sharp glare at Adachi. But the scaled young hero seemed to completely ignore him, stopping at the table, "So what exactly is this all about DK?"

He knew they had to address Zodiac, but wanted to save that for the right time...

"I'd very much like to know myself," The Chief grunted, scratching his stubble covered chin, "If this is about Forma-Gen again... You know I can't authorize another warrant without good reason, they're already threatening to charge us with harassment since we increased patrols around their building."

DK nodded his head, "I know... Which is why I didn't call you here to ask for help, I called you here so you know what I'm about to do, and why."

"What?" He quirked an eyebrow, "Katou, you can't go off and do something on your own, I can't protect you if you break the law..."

"I'm not asking you to," DK replied calmly, "If what I'm planning doesn't work, I will accept full responsibility... But you have to trust me, I _know_ they're the ones behind all of this, and if I can just into that building I'll prove it."

While the young heroes remained silent, Migato took a deep breath and sighed, "Very well... Let's hear what you have to say."

"I'll start by explaining to you two," His eyes darted between Ryou and Adachi, "Why I began investigating things around Forma-Gen weeks before you ever joined up with me... You see, Forma-Gen set up shop in Dokuga shortly after the... Bombing, they seemed harmless enough at first... Just offering money for surveys, even extra for genetic samples of residence, often giving out large sums depending on their Quirks." He explained, "They often targeted the homeless population for genetic sampling, knowing they'd be desperate for the money... And the police didn't do anything to stop it."

"Because technically they weren't breaking any laws," The Chief pointed out, "And they had permits..."

"Tch, or just bribes," He grunted, returning his eyes to the desk and grabbing at a few papers, Migato's eyes shying away at that remark, "A month or two ago, I arrested a few men who were damn near forcing a young man to give them a DNA sample, Forma-Gen fired them shortly afterwards and denounced their actions, promising to change things... Now, at this point I started keeping an eye on them, maybe breaking a few rules to find out what they were doing in day to day activities or just what they needed these samples for." He handed a paper across the table to the police Chief, "I knew I was missing something... But recently, when looking over all the information I had, I came across this."

Migato accepted the paper, adjusting his glasses, "The Quirk registry of the man they were harassing?"

"Rizado," DK turned his eyes to the lizard boy, "If you would be so kind as to tell the Chief what you remember about that monsters Quirk..."

"Uh... Alright," Adachi nodded, getting his thoughts in order, "She had some kind of augmentation I think, it was hard to catch, but whenever she attacked or smashed the ground her arms began to vibrate, or tremble... The same thing happened to her whole body before she launched herself at Griffin." He explained, "And, when I attacked her in my Kaiju form, I tried to push her towards the edge of the bridge, but her body just kept getting heavier."

The Chief's eyes narrowed slowly, "It... Matches the general description... Mass Effect, the individual possessing this Quirk is capable of increasing or decreasing the Mass and Density of their body without increasing size... Usage is noticeable by an acute trembling in the muscles of the user." He read off grimly.

"And how long after that man was harassed did he go missing?" DK questioned, crossing his arms and staring at the chief.

"... Less than twenty-four hours..." He admitted.

"But because he was a poor homeless bastard you let it slide to focus on the bigger and better things..." DK added harshly, "I wasn't lying when I said I didn't want your help, mainly because the way you run things disgusts me..." The tension between them was thick, this was obviously not the first time such a topic had been approached by these men, "The truck we found on the bridge, Griffin and I knew it was heading that way, and thought it was transporting some of the missing people... So we were planning to stop them and investigate but, well... We were wrong."

Migato sighed heavily and adjusted his glasses, setting the paper down, "And what are you planning to do? Storm the building? My officers already searched the place and couldn't find anything."

"You're right, if there is something to find, its hidden away... Which is why I plan to flush our enemy out of hiding." DK explained, "And that's where you come in," He added looking to Adachi, "That blue fire is just what we need."

"Dad you can't be suggesting you light the building on fire!" Ganta exclaimed, "That's crazy! And illegal!"

"The kid is right." The chief replied, crossing his arms.

DK shook his head, "No, listen... They are using the excuse and the evidence that League of Villains was behind what happened on the bridge, so lets use it against them!" He explained eagerly, "Rizado, you make blue fire, I'm saying you attack the building disguised as a member of the League of Villains, that man Dabi has been characterized by his flames and the people will recognize it easily enough," DK stated, the others eyes going wide, "Then as the chaos ensues, Ryou and I will arrive on the scene to "help", and while Ryou keeps guiding people out and away from the building, I'll head in and start searching with Adachi."

"This is madness!" Migato exclaimed, "You're putting innocent lives in Danger!"

"Not if we do this tomorrow!" DK barked back quickly, "On Sunday the building is almost completely empty above the third floor, nothing but maintenance crews, we clear the building under the guise of Heroes evacuating the workers and while the fire fighters are dealing with the flames we investigate every computer and doorway we can find!"

"And what happens if we don't find anything?" Ryou questioned worriedly, finally speaking up, "If we don't come out of this with any real evidence..."

"Then I will take full responsibility," DK repeated, nodding his head, "I've already lost my Partner, and I'm getting too old for this shit anyways, so if this is how I go out than so be it, you kids won't be implicated, it'll all be my fault I assure you of that... But even so, the choice is yours."

Adachi narrowed his eyes sharply, going with his gut instinct, "I'm in."

"Me too!" Ryou nodded, putting on a grin, "I'm ready to do my part!" She assured, _"If something is going to happen, I'm going to be there this time!"_ _  
_

"I cannot support this," The Chief chimed in, shaking his head as he stepped back from the desk, "DK... Out of respect for how long we've known each other, I won't stop you... But don't expect my help during this mess."

DK nodded his head in response, "I was ready for that, all your men need to do is keep people away from the building... And if the worst is true and we fail, then I'll turn myself in willingly."

"Hey hang on a second," Ryou added, "Why aren't we getting Spitfire and his team in on this?"

"I'm heading over to speak with them later." DK answered simply, "They were busy this morning."

"There is one more thing," Adachi spoke up, just as the Chief looked as though he was about to leave, "On the train ride here, Ryou and I were approached by the Zodiac."

DK's eyes widened, as Adachi fished an envelope out of his pocket, "The criminal? What happened? What did she want? Is she here in Dokuga?"

"We didn't see her get off the train here so she may have slipped away at another stop," Ryou added, "She was interested in that monster, seemed like she wanted to recruit it."

"She said it was going to be a valuable piece to use against the League," Adachi explained, holding out the envelope, "I had to tell her everything, her goons would have started attacking people otherwise."

Migato cursed loudly, "Dammit! So now we've got her to worry about as well..."

"I'm sorry," Adachi sighed and shook his head, "If we weren't on a train, I would have done more but-"

"No, you did the right thing," DK assured with a nod, "But what is this?" He asked, taking the envelope and starting to tear it open.

"She said it was payment, for you specifically." Adachi explained, "I haven't looked at it, but she made it clear this was for you."

DK pulled out a paper from within, narrowing his eyes as he read the lines over and over. Before they widened suddenly, his grip on the paper tightening, "Hmm..."

"What does it say?" Migato questioned suspiciously.

"Important information, if its true." DK answered quickly, "I'll fill you in later, but for now we need to get things sorted..."

With most of the prior business settled, they began discussing details on how this would work. Ryou and Adachi didn't leave Dokuga that night, remaining in hiding in the city to keep suspicious eyes closed. But both of them knew that with tomorrow evening, came what could be their first real Hero Operation.

Little did they know what horror they were about to unleash.

 **. . .  
**

 **Sunday, Evening.**

Things had been quiet all day, with Ryou and Adachi waiting in hiding for the show to begin. They'd faked leaving on the train the night before in case Forma-Gen was keeping eyes on DK, likely seeing him as the most likely to try anything given his insistence. But after hiding away through the night and most of the day in, it was time to get things under way.

Now, in an alleyway across from Forma-Gen, they were about to get the party started.

"How do I look?" Adachi asked, clad in an oversized black cloak hiding his hero costume. Along with a hood and a mask to hide his appearance, "Am I scary villain?"

Ryou blushed lightly, looking him over. His tail stuck out the back a bit and he looked like a total goof, _"Oh my god he's adorable."_ Before she laughed nervously, "Maybe make sure you have your tail tucked away... Are you ready?" She asked, beginning to charge her muscles up with power, "We've got one shot to make this look cool."

"Yeah just make sure you aim for the fourth floor." Adachi chuckled, making sure the mask was on tight before he jumped up to the wall, "Ready!"

"Alright here we go..." She clenched her fists, super charging her entire body but did her best to contain the shock waves, "Hnngh! Go now!" At her signal, Adachi jumped as high as he could while Ryou thrust her arms out, "Third Release!"

The blast of force slammed into Adachi from behind, carrying him even further into the air. In just seconds, he could see clear over the building! It was only about five stories high, mostly glass surrounding the top portion while the lower half was guarded by thick concrete walls. Aiming himself at a window on the top floor, Adachi braced himself, "Here we go!" He could hear people below shouting, those in the street who spotted the flying cloaked figure.

With a brief impact and the sound of shattering glass, Adachi smashed right through and into the office space. Most of the lights were already off and he saw no one, "Perfect!" He smirked, inhaling deeply before shooting a few blue fireballs at the nearby desks, igniting stacks of paper, _"Is it wrong that this is kinda fun?"_

 **. . .  
**

Spitfire was relaxing at his Agency, kicking back with his sidekicks and enjoying television on their new ultra sized TV. Courtesy of Dr. Rito's last paycheck of course.

To his right, Firefly was lazing about munching popcorn. Her amber hair tied back in a bun, her skin color was ebony and she had soft brown eyes with luscious lips. Her rather endowed form only accentuated by her skin tight jumpsuit. Without all the tech and armor pieces she normally had attached, it almost seemed a bit too... Revealing? Her colors were made up of mostly black with neon orange lines tracing along her form.

And to his left, kicked back and relaxing, was Dragonfly. He was a man a bit older than Spitfire and shared his facial structure, in truth it was his older brother! Though he had a shiny bald head covered in tattoos mimicking a dragon breathing fire. He wore a similar jumpsuit but also far more armor, making up something more akin to a fully robotic suit compared to the others. His own colors a sleek black with red tints and lights going throughout it like Tron.

"Nothing good on tonight, why did we even buy this stupid TV?" Dragonfly grunted, stroking his thick black beard.

"Because we can, ain't that what rich pricks do?" Firefly joked with a chuckle.

"Yeah and we keep this up we can move out of here soon," Spitfire smirked, leaning back in his seat, "Get ourselves a big fancy Agency up in Tokyo... Then we'll be rolling in it." Before much more could be said, his phone began to buzz, "Huh? Bossman at this hour?" He muttered, sighing and answering it, "Yo."

"Don't "yo" me you ignorant SWINE! Have you looked out a damn window!? My building is under attack!"

 **. . .**

Meanwhile, down in the street, Ryou watched the flames starting to spread and nodded. Running through another alley, she made a few turns to get away from the scene before sliding to a stop beside a car, quickly opening the door, "He's in! We're ready to go!"

DK nodded, smirking in amusement from his spot in the drivers seat before bringing a phone to his ear, "Griffin, we're good to go here, send the call out."

"On it, try not to get yourself killed or arrested."

"Ha! No promises!" The old bastard laughed, hanging up before stepping on the gas. The duo drove around the block until reaching the front of the building, some people were already making their way out, mostly custodial staff. He quickly got out along with Ryou and began waving his hands at the crowd, "Alright everyone get back! We have reason to believe a member of the League is attacking the building!"

"What!?"

"The League of Villains!?"

"Here!?"

"Yes yes its very scary but I assure you we'll handle this," He promised with a smile, "Now Ryou wait out here and-" His voice hitched as he started hearing a buzzing in the air, "Shit... Get inside and help get people out, I'll handle this."

 _"But that wasn't the-"_ Her thoughts stopped as she spotted three lights moving in from above in the dark sky, "Yes sir." She nodded, turning and running towards the main doors, _"Spitfire is here, DK said he was going to meet with them but with how he's acting... Do they even know what's going on?"_

"DK! What's the situation?" Spitfire questioned, landing before him while his sidekicks touched down as well.

"League of Villains," DK answered in a grim tone, "You were right, they must be targeting this place, Rizado and Megaton are already inside making sure people get out, luckily the fire is only on the top floors so we should be able to get everyone out safely."

 _"League of Villains?"_ Spitfire thought, eyes moving up to the fire, _"But... I was just-"_ Something seemed to click in his head, and he felt his body stiffen slightly. _"No, there's no way he knows... I've covered all our tracks-"_ Snapping himself out of it, he took a deep breath, "This could get bad, if they've got another monster like that one at the bridge... Firefly, Dragonfly, circle the building and keep an eye out for stragglers, if you see a shot at whoever is making these fires, take it!" He ordered, _"Alright old man, let's play a game..."_

"Yes sir!" Firefly and Dragonfly answered, taking off into the air and starting to circle the building.

DK watched them fly off and nodded, "Good idea." Though, he knew this spelled trouble for Adachi, _"Just keep your cool kid, I know you can do this."_

 **. . .  
**

On the upper levels, Adachi was moving through the area making sure nobody was around before starting to descend to the floor below. He was just coming out of the stairwell when he noticed more lights outside. Moving closer to the window he spotted police on the scene but no sign of fire trucks just yet which wasn't good. The police were speaking with DK and Spitfire while setting up a line to keep people away.

"Alright... The fires burning hot, time to start searching." He decided with a nod, adjusting his mask a bit before turning and starting to move towards the stairs. But he stopped when he heard something buzzing outside the window, turning his head he spotted the Hero Firefly. His eyes widening at the sight of her in full fear with fluttering, mechanical insectoid wings behind her. She had a hand raised with what looked like a Gatling gun attached to it, the barrels starting to spool up, "Oh crap!"

Diving for cover, he just barely avoided the barrage of lasers tearing into the building through the glass. Peppering the area and singing the carpets with her assault while Adachi only narrowly avoided the pellets, "Located the enemy! Fifth floor! I'm moving in!"

 _"She doesn't know what's going on, DK what were you thinking!?"_ Adachi thought in anger, _"Crap, I can't fight another Hero... I'll have to avoid her, just keep spreading the fire."_ He reached up and activated his communicator, "Hey, Ry- Er, Megaton," He whispered as quietly as he could, "Firefly is up here with me so I can't move down just yet, can you make a distraction?"

Far down below, on the second floor, Ryou had been searching for any stragglers and any sign of the secret doorway they were looking for. She came to a stop, hearing his request before nodding, "Yeah, hang on." Clenching her fists, she began to super charge her muscles, "Nothing too big... Just enough to make some noise!" She grit her teeth, eyes flashing, "HAAAH!"

The burst of energy tore through the desks around her, blowing papers all over and sending chairs flying. The nearby windows exploded outward sending glass falling towards the ground. The noise was enough to reach the upper levels, distracting Firefly for a moment, "Dragonfly, what was that? Is there another villain?!"

"You'll never take me alive!" Adachi shouted in his deepest voice possible, making a run for the stairwell. The moment he made it through the door, he jumped over the edge and used his tail to grab the railing, slinging himself around sticking himself to the underside of the stairs!

"Dammit!" Firefly cursed as she came through the door, "The villain is heading down! Meet me on the lower floors I've lost sight of him!" Before using her flight to begin the descent.

Leaving Adachi to sigh in relief, before he grabbed his communicator, "Thanks, they're both coming your way to find out what made that noise, keep them focused on you down there while I look around!"

 **. . .**

"What the hell was that!?" Somebody shouted from the crowd.

"Some kind of bomb!?"

 _"Dammit what are you doing in there?"_ DK wondered, looking towards the building, "I should get in there, my sidekick could be in danger."

"Firefly and Dragonfly will look after her," Spitfire assured, "We need to be ready on damage control, or if more villains show up! Hang on, I'm getting word from the two of them," He added, bringing a hand to his covered ear, "They're checking the second floor for the source of the blast."

"Alright, I trust your sidekicks." DK replied, watching the fire starting to spread, the floor where it started was now a raging blue inferno, with smoke polluting the starry sky above, _"You're keeping your cool Spitfire, I'll give you that..."_

 **. . .  
**

After Adachi's warning, Ryou quickly moved clear of the blast area. Ducking down beneath a desk as she saw their lights approaching, not wanting them to be able to tie her to the explosion. Luckily her attack had blasted out most of the lights above her so it was dark, making it hard to see her. She could hear the two heroes fly inside and land among the debris.

"What a mess," Dragonfly grunted, keeping the blaster attached to his armored fist up and ready, "See anything?"

"No... Maybe it was some kind of bomb?" Firefly replied, "But then were is that bastard in the cloak?"

Ryou was about to reveal herself, thinking quickly that she could say she had avoided the blast when-

"Man these Forma-Gen fuckers aren't paying enough for this shit... I should be home watching TV right now."

"Will you keep it down?" Firefly hissed in response, "You wanna tell everyone we're working for them?"

"Tch, whatever... I'm just saying, we were just supposed to keep DK off their backs, not deal with the League of Villains, those guys are twisted..."

"Well lets just hope these villains don't end up letting out that fucking monster."

Ryou couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she started to realize that maybe the reason DK hadn't let them in on the details was because he suspected something like this. She clenched her fists tightly, _"But... They're supposed to be Heroes!"_ In a moment of anger, she pushed over the desk and rose to her feet, glaring daggers at the two of them.

"Oh! Hey kid you're alright, thank goodness." Firefly chuckled, taking a step towards her, "Come on, we should get clear in case there are any more-"

"DK!" Ryou shouted into her communicator, "Spitfire and his sidekicks are working for Forma-Gen!"


	52. Heroes VS Heroes, A Monsters Origin

**Glad at least two people are enjoying...**

 **But enough passive aggression, small note for todays chapter. Things are a little manic here because I'm gonna be moving in about a week or two, having had a huge amount of free time between preparing for that and my job so fair warning editing may have been a little rushed this time around.**

 **Also on that note, if it turns out I have to move before I finish getting out the last three chapter (Thats right boys and girls only 3 left after this chapter) then I'll move up the schedule and post them day after day lol**

 **Anyways, enjoy the continuing chaos :D**

* * *

"Spitfire and his sidekicks are working for Forma-Gen!"

DK and Spitfire's eyes met, both hearing the words. DK through his own communicator, and Spitfire through his teammates. For a brief second, as the truth sunk in, DK's face showed a grim acceptance of the truth he didn't want to believe. While at the same time, Spitfire's face showed a terrible fear, that was replaced in an instant with something far more sinister.

"Well, fuck it then." Spitfire smirked, before raising his blast on DK and unloading, firing a salvo of bright green bolts of energy. Civilians were shouting, police were trying to get everyone clear while DK jumped back to avoid the blasts.

"Hnngh!" He hissed in pain, the explosions rattling him on all sides before he reached a safe point. His sharp eyes darting right back up to Spitfire as he took a position in the air, "You Bastard!"

"Oh get off your high horse DK," Spitfire spat back, keeping his blaster aimed at DK, "I've busted my ass keeping this place safe for YEARS! And what do I have to show for it? NOTHING! Who could blame me for taking Forma-Gen up on their offer?"

"And you are okay with people being abducted or killed?!" DK demanded, fists clenching tighter, "With Heroes being crippled!?"

He paused briefly, expression fading in a second of contemplation... Before it returned to a sinister sneer, "Yes, I am." He turned sharply, aiming his blaster at the crowd and firing.

"NO!"

 **. . .**

"Oh you shouldn't have done that girl," Dragonfly sighed, "Now you'll have to DIE!" Both Pro Heroes turned their blasters on Ryou, but she didn't try to back down.

"HAAAH!" The moment they fired, she expelled more energy from her body. The shockwave unleashed sent their projectiles flying in random directions, at the same time she lunged for Firefly, "You two are a DISGRACE!" Her fist smashed right through her visor, the blow sending her tumbling across the ground. She tried to keep going with her momentum, turning and delivering a blow to Dragonfly but he caught her fist with a mechanical gauntlet, "Hnngh!?"

"Being super strong is pretty nice, so I upgraded my armor to make me far stronger than the average person!" He declared, grabbing her by the elbow with his other arm, before spinning around and throwing her right into into a nearby wall.

"Gah!" She impact knocked the wind out of her, making Ryou drop to her knees.

"And the built in shock absorbers make dealing with punch hungry pricks like you nice and easy." He chuckled, rolling his mechanical fingers as he walked towards her, "I'm basically a tank in human form!"

"Shock absorbers?" Ryou repeated, rising back to her feet with an intense fire in her eyes, "Good, I've been looking for a sturdy punching bag." Slamming her fists together as her veins lit up, sparks flying between them, "Lets see what gives out first, your Armor or my Quirk? YOU D LIST HERO!"

 **. . .**

Spitfire chuckled in amusement, "Wow, you're pretty spry for an old man."

DK was wincing in pain, hands stinging and burned from using them to stop the attack after getting in between Spitfire and the crowd, "Fuck you, I'm only forty eight..." He grunted, wincing when he moved his hands, "Officers, get these people clear of the area, its too dangerous." He ordered, not daring to take his eyes off of Spitfire.

"Hmph, you know I spent the last five years of my life being the noble protector of these people and it didn't get me shit," He spat harshly, "Smiles don't buy me nice things, so why should I care?" His blaster aimed at the crowd again briefly, before he chuckled once more, "I am curious, how did you know? What gave me away?"

DK grit his teeth at the mans words, "You were always there, any time I had a problem with Forma-Gen you ended up involved somehow... I never did like you and your pompous bullshit, your eyes never match what your mouth is saying." He grunted, clenching his fists tightly, "Still, I didn't want to believe, I put faith in you that my instincts were wrong, because I wanted to believe in you... And then-" He remembered what was in that envelope, the one Adachi had gotten from Zodiac. It was such simple evidence, not damning but enough to tip the scale. Bank statements, ones that pointed to an anonymous financier of the Spitfire Agency. "And then, when Megaton spoke out against you... I knew it was the truth."

Spitfire broke into a boisterous laugh, "Wow! Of all the things that could have gotten me caught, to think it was one of those idiots blabbing..." He lowered his weapon briefly, "You wanna hear something really twisted? Firefly did find Forma-Gens little pet project in the water, luckily she'd lost consciousness thanks to the blood loss, we brought her right back home to get all patched up."

 _"Spitfire! Sir! I think I've got something!"  
_

 _"Say again Firefly? I'm here with DK and the Police Chief, if you found that monster tell us and we'll be right there!"_

 _"... Oh... Whoops, sorry it was just more debris from the bridge, false alarm."_

"Dammit Spitfire!" DK shouted in anger, slashing a hand through the air. "How could you support them making a MONSTER like that!?"

"I support myself making money," He scoffed, shaking his head, a few compartments on his jetpack opening, "And after we get out of here, I think we'll try to join up with that League of Villains everyone is so fond of, I'm sure that'll really get the cash flowing."

"HRAAAH!" DK roared, springing off the ground towards him with incredible speed, "I won't let you run!" Reaching out and trying to grab him, but just as his hand met Spitfire's chest, several small rockets were launched from his back. Flying towards the building and exploding along its edges, rocking the structure with shockwaves, "WHAT?!"

As the two fell towards the ground, Spitfire stuffed the barrel against DK chest and fired, blasting him off, "Let's see you try to chase me once that monster is out!" He laughed, flying further away from the scene, "Everyone fall back! I repeat get away from the building! But make sure to leave your surprise for the boss man before you go!"

 **. . .**

"HAAAAAH!" Ryou was locked hand to hand with Dragonfly, sparks jumping from her form as she tried to push him back. The two were locked in place, neither able to get the upper hand, but it was clear Dragonfly was running out of steam, or at least his suit was reaching its limit.

"Ngh! Dammit girl will you just FUCK OFF!" He fired a blast from his wrist launcher but it hit nothing except for a wall nearby.

"I can't believe I thought you were the good guys!" She shouted, bending his mechanical wrists back, circuits were sparking as the joints were crushed. Before she could break all the way through however, the building rocked with the force of explosions from the outside.

"Everyone fall back! I repeat get away from the building! But make sure to leave your surprise for the boss man before you go!"

"DRAGONFLY!"

Ryou's eyes widened, and before she could move a stinging pain burned into her side. Firefly blasting her from the flank, her grip loosened as she stumbled away allowing Dragonfly to get clear, "Come on we've gotta go!" She turned and started flying out of the building, expecting him to follow.

"Right! See ya round bitch!" Dragonfly laughed, making his way towards the window to blast off as well, "Here! Have a present before I go!" Releasing a mechanical device from his back and letting it hit the floor where it started ticking.

Ryou grit her teeth, eyes flashing as she drove herself to move, "You're NOT GETTING AWAY!" Blasting off of her feet, she attacked him from behind just as he cleared the window.

Outside, DK would watch as Ryou slammed into Dragonfly from behind smashing right through his jetpack. The two crashing down to the ground below and tumbling across the pavement. But before anyone could move, the entire floor they had been on lit up, a thunderous explosion destroying all that was left. Lights throughout the building started to fail, the power shutting down rapidly as more fires spread on the heavily damaged building.

"Megaton!" DK moved to her aid quickly, "Are you okay? What happened up there where is Rizado!?"

"I-I don't know," Ryou panted lightly, getting up quickly while police surrounded and started detaining the dazed Dragonfly, "Firefly flew away, but that guy left some kind of explosive up there before I took him down."

DK narrowed his eyes, turning and glaring at Dragonfly, "Alright you son of a bitch, what was that? Why did you attack the building!?"

Dragonfly groaned in pain as he was hoisted up, police starting to remove his damaged gear and cuff him, "Heh, heheheheh, because Spitfire wanted a backup plan in case Forma-Gen tried to backstab us," He sneered, "Bro knew all the power lines that were important to the sub lab, there's no stopping it now, if nobody is down there to seal the door that Monster is gonna get out and you're ALL DEAD!" Before breaking into laughter, like a mad man that knew his time was up, the police taking him away.

Just as DK was about to head into the building himself, his communicator went off, "D-DK! Its me!" Adachi's voice sounding through, but he sounded frantic.

"Rizado? Good you're alive, is everything okay? Where are you!?" DK asked quickly.

"I found my way to the secret lab!" Adachi explained, "But we've got a big problem!"

"What kind of big problem!?"

"The kind with four arms that wants to kill me!"

 **. . .**

 **15 Minutes Earlier**

After Firefly took off downstairs and Adachi gave his warning to Ryou, he began making his way deeper. Passing by the main floors via an empty elevator shaft. Which was strange, all things considered. He couldn't find the lift anywhere, and hadn't seen any sign of it since entered the shaft. The cables lead all the way to the bottom but ended with no elevator in sight.

"What the hell..." He muttered, coming to a stop on the bottom of the shaft. But when his feet touched down, it gave off a hollow metal clank, "Wait... Isn't the bottom of the shaft supposed to be concrete or something?" Adachi questioned, kneeling down and feeling along the floor, "Hnngh!" His eyes widened, feeling a line in the floor that split it in half.

 _"This has to be it! Some kind of hidden doorway in the elevator shaft!"_ He realized, looking around to the cables along the wall. Sure enough, it looked like they ran into the floor rather than stopping at the bottom, _"A hidden floor beneath the building!"_

Not wasting any time, Adachi grew to his Croc form and got to work. The sound of fight outside was muffled by the closed off proximity of the elevator shaft. Adachi slammed a fist into the metal, starting to dent it inward. Oh yeah, there was definitely something beneath it, he struck the metal a few more times until it was busted enough that he could get a grip. Clenching his teeth, he started to strip it away and hissed angrily. The metal began to creak and bend back allowing him to see inside.

Sure enough, there was an elevator parked maybe another twenty feet down.

"Perfect!" Adachi grinned flashing his teeth. Shifting back to his smaller form, he started climbing down along the wall before reaching the elevator parked below. With a sharp twist, he popped off the emergency hatch and climbed inside. He pushed a button and doors began to open, and as he walked out into the long hallway he started to discard his villain disguise, "Alright, lets do this!"

The walls around him were concrete, lined with a few bright white lights like he was in some kind of bunker. And far ahead he could see the hall open up into a large room with various lights inside of it. This was it, this had to be it! He broke into a sprint the moment he started hearing voices, closing in on the room quickly. As Adachi stepped inside, his eyes widened at the sight before him.

All along the walls were other large vats, filled with a strange glowing green liquid and some globs or seemingly organic material. Tables lined with all forms of surgical equipment were everywhere, thick wires and cables were all over the room connecting various computers to different places. And at the far end in another, much larger vat, there she was.

Floating in the liquid, her body had only small scars remaining that showed her injuries from what happened on the bridge. But she appeared to be unconscious, something keeping her asleep as she floated in the strange goo. A breathing mask was attached to her mouth, along with a few tubes around her body. Her form had grown a bit darker in color as well.

But his thoughts on that came to a halt when he spotted two men in lab coats staring at him. Both looking like they'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Not wasting any time, Adachi moved towards them, "You two are both under arrest!"

The thin pale man raised his hands, head lowered in defeat. While the shorter, far older man behind him narrowed his eyes at Adachi, "You... You stupid child... How dare you come down into MY lab, i-if I were younger I would-"

"Dr. Rito please," Daito put his hands on the man trying to stop him, "Calm down, it's over..."

Rito's eyes glanced over the various monitors showing camera feed from outside. With police on the scene, and news choppers buzzing overhead now, he knew it was the end. There was no recovering from this, with the evidence that could be recovered here Forma-Gen was done. "Dammit... I didn't give that monkey enough credit..." He grunted, spotting the fight going on between DK and Spitfire, "He maneuvered me right into a corner..."

Adachi moved closer, watching them warily, "You need to give me some answers, this monster... Why did you make her?" He demanded, thinking back to Griffin, "Why did you sick her on innocent people!?"

"It was never our intention to hurt innocent people," Daito assured, "What happened at the bridge was an accident, you must understand-"

"I will not beg for forgiveness," Rito cut him off, glaring at Adachi, "Forgiveness for trying to cure this crumbling society... You've seen it yourself, Heroes are failing, the villains grow stronger and my creation is the only thing that could stop it! If only I'd had more time... But the bridge was a successful test run, and your battle showed me ways to improve her body, she's quite a bit more durable now boy."

Adachi's eyes slowly turned towards the vat, "What is she? Another modified human? Like the Noumu?"

"No... But she was created here," He answered grimly, moving towards a chair to sit at a computer, "If I am to be exposed, I want the world to know of my genius." He muttered, bringing up various images, "After the Hosu Incident, when the Noumu and what they were became fully realized... My benefactors and I understood that Villains were going to continue making monsters that far outclassed our heroes, so why not do the same?" He questioned, images of grow masses in the tanks ran across the screen.

They were disgusting, but slowly began to take form, "This is..." Adachi muttered, taking in everything.

"We didn't know the League of Villain's method, so we adopted our own, making use of my Quirk and my colleagues" He continued, "Daito here has a unique Quirk, one that is invaluable to making this process fast and easy while mine assisted in creating her body." He explained, "Tell me, young Hero, how many hundreds of hours of training have you put in, to be only at the average level you are now?" Rito asked, but didn't bother waiting for a response, "While putting out main efforts into crafting this single, highly durable and immensely powerful body using my own Quirk; Weaver... We had others building weaker, simpler forms that would not last as long in prolonged usage."

Adachi's eyes widened, looking back to him, "What... What are saying?"

"Daito's Quirk is called Memory Mapping," Rito answered, "He can copy the muscle memory, and physical experiences of another living creature, and imprint them onto either himself or something else." Pressing another button, the screens changed, showing various videos looping. They looked like Her, but they were smaller, sickly, weaker. They were using their Quirk, training themselves to their limits. Many were breaking down, collapsing from exhaustion or injuring themselves with their abilities, releasing pained screams.

Some of the videos showed differing quirks being used, many ending in failure or severe injury, "We could not copy Quirks or give her multiple ones like the League has somehow learned how to do..." Daito explained along with him, "So instead, we put our Quirk research to work, studying the DNA we collected from those with interesting abilities... We molded the bodies, twisted and broke them until we found the proper conditions to mimic the Quirk we desired."

Even though the videos had no audio, Adachi felt his stomach lurch in disgust, "How... How could you do something so cruel?" He muttered.

"They were just empty dolls, no purpose but the one we gave them," Rito answered him simply, "Once they were spent, Daito would copy their Memories, and imprint their experiences into our main body..."

Adachi grit his teeth, suddenly grabbing the man by his shirt and yanking him up from the chair, "And WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER THAT!?" He demanded, "What did you do to those so called empty dolls!?" His eyes slit and feathers standing on end as he bared his fangs.

"We..." It was Daito's turn to speak up, as he switched the video feed, "Disposed of them."

It was a dark room, filled with pain, writhing bodies. Battered and broken, crying in pain. It was a chorus of pain and suffering. And in their last moments of terror, they saw only fire. As a massive torrent of flames ripped through the room, incinerating all that was left of these failures...

Adachi dropped Rito back into his chair, he wanted to look away from the screen but couldn't. He watched them burning, the sound of the Monsters scream at the bridge filled his ears, knowing a similar sound must have been coming from these other poor creatures.

"Two Hundred and Fifty Seven," Rito coughed out, fixing his shirt, "That was the last count we took, before the incident at the bridge... We were transporting her to another facility to begin proper training, when the accident happened and you Heroes interfered." He sighed and shook his head, "What a waste... She was going to be the start of a new world, a violent upheaval of this crumbling society..." His eyes drifted over to the tank holding Her, "She would be our requiem, one that would bring about a better world..."

Adachi looked back around, staring at her tank with a look of sympathy in his eyes, _"When we fought on the bridge, she wasn't trying to hurt anyone, she was defending herself... This thing, she isn't evil just..."_

A thunderous crash sounded up above, and Adachi eyes darted to the ceiling. The rumbling ended moments later, but as it did, the lights began to turn off, the power was shutting down. Nothing but flashing red emergency lights remained, "Wh-What's happening?" Adachi demanded.

"The power has been cut!" Daito exclaimed, looking to his screens, "Emergency supply was also hit! Was this part of your plans too Hero!?" He demanded, eyes darting to Adachi.

"What? No we weren't planning to cut power!" He argued, realizing something big must have happened, "Alright come on! Let's get you two out of here and into police custody." He ordered, grabbing Rito's arm and starting to move towards the door.

As the room powered down, inside of her tank, the monster began to stir. The dampeners keeping her in a dazed, calm state were shutting off allowing her mind to start moving once again. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw flashing lights, and figures she just barely recognized. It was that person from the bridge, the one who... No, he was with them, he was moving with BOTH OF THEM!

"Hrrrnnngh... Gnnngh!" The glass began to crack, as she pushed her hands against it.

Adachi looked back briefly, seeing was happening his eyes widened, "Oh no... RUN! Both of you get to the elevator!" He commanded, urging them to move, Daito quickly aiding Rito's retreat through the main doors and into the hall.

The glass shattered, and She went on the attack. Adachi charged forward to meet her head on, trying to transform mid run. But with one swing she battered him aside, sending the boy slamming into various pieces of medical equipment. She reached Dr. Rito, and grabbed him with one arm, lifting him high into the air. Her eyes were burning with fury, anger clear on her face.

 _"Him! He's the one..."_ Her thoughts were becoming more clear, focusing on what was right in front of her, _"He... Did... This."_

"St-Stop!" Daito cried out, trying to help the doctor but she batted him aside. The older man hit the wall hard, splitting the skin of his head before he hit the ground unconscious.

"Ngh! N-No! You can't do this!" Rito pleaded in fear, "I-I created you! You were... You were going to change the world!"

She looked him dead in the eyes, pulling him closer to her face as she inhaled deeply, the smell of his sweat... His fear. Something in her mind finally clicking into place, "You... Created... Failure." Rito's eyes widened further, a chill running down his spine at the sound of her voice. That wasn't supposed to be possible, she was just supposed to be a creature that followed orders! But as his mind did loops, trying to comprehend her cognitive growth, Failure raised one fist.

Knowing it would only take one blow to crush this feeble man.

"STOP!" The pure desperation in his voice, for a brief moment it made her hesitate. Turning her head slowly, and her body halfway, she looked back at the boy. "Please! You... You called yourself Failure, you have a name! You're not some dumb animal!" Adachi shouted, "I know what they did to you was terrible, but if you kill that man... You don't have to be this, you don't have to be a weapon for them or anyone else!"

He talked a lot, and understanding was a slow process. But she knew he wasn't trying to attack her, no... He was trying to stop her, stop her from killing the bad man? She remembered him, he was on the bridge. He protected people then too, _"Strong..."_

"Grr... You... Failure, remembers you..." She hissed, dropping the man onto the ground before she started walking towards him, passing through the doors back into the lab, while a rush of excitement started filling her body, mixed with the anger she was feeling, "You... You HURT ME! You... Are strong!"

With a feral roar, she was on the attack again. Diving for Adachi while the boy remained in his Skink form to evade and keep his distance, reaching for his communicator while on the move, "D-DK! Its me!"

"Rizado? Good you're alive, is everything okay? Where are you!?"

"I found my way to the secret lab!" Adachi explained, back flipping as Failure smashed her arms down trying to crush him but only succeeded in destroying more equipment, "But we've got a big problem!"

"What kind of big problem!?"

"The kind with four arms that wants to kill me!" He shouted, eyes darting towards the door as he spotted movement. Rito had moved to a control panel, and with one yank of a switch, the heavy steel doors were closing, "HEY! What are you doing!?" At this distance, there was no way he'd make it out in time.

"She cannot be allowed to escape!" He shouted, "And for that, I am sorry, Good bye, Young Hero."

And just like that the doors, and Adachi's fate, were sealed.


	53. Ultimate Clash! Ryou VS Failure!

**Vedhazii: Nah maybe next chapter its time for someone else to take a crack at her X3**

 **RisinHope: Thanks for all the recent reviews! I'm glad you're loving the story and I love hearing from new readers, your words are too kind X3**

 **Anyways, I'm sure you're wondering "Why Tuesday?" Well with the move date, work and other factors I won't be able to stick to the current schedule. LUCKILY I already have the final three chapters done, so Today, Tomorrow and Thursday I'll be putting them up.**

 **Sorry if it seems rushed, but this is unfortunately how I must do things T~T**

 **Either way, I rewrote this chapter like 10 times so fingers crossed this version is to your liking lol**

* * *

"Dammit!" DK barked, clenching his fist, "Give us your location, we're on our way!" Turning to Ryou, "Come on! We might not have much time before this whole damn building comes down!"

"Right!" Ryou nodded, the two breaking into a sprint for the doors, _"Adachi, please be okay!"_

"The elevator shaft! There is a false bottom to the elevator shaft! Hurry!" Adachi answered frantically, sounding out of breath.

DK reached the elevator doors and started pulling them open, the drop wasn't any more than fifteen feet, considering they were only on the first floor. But there was a mound of cables near the hole that had been ripped in the false flooring, the explosion up top had totally ruined the elevator. Even so, the two began their descent. Climbing down the shaft and through the hole Adachi had made earlier.

It wasn't long before they'd reached the hallway and saw signs of what had happened. There was a man on the ground, with another in a labcoat looking him over. But no sign of the monster or Adachi.

"HEY!" DK shouted, running to the old man, "Where are they!? Where is Rizado!?" He demanded in anger, fearing the worst.

Rito didn't bother looking back at him, just pointed towards the door, "It was the only way, to keep Her from getting out."

Ryou's eyes widened, "WHAT?! Are you saying Adachi is trapped in their with that thing!?"

"Then we'll open it." DK decided without a moments hesitation, getting up and moving towards the door.

"W-What!?" Rito gasped, looking at the man like he was insane, "You know what that thing is capable of! If you let it out, there is no one in Dokuga that can stop it!" He frantically argued, more concerned with his own life at this point, "In repairing her body I used my Quirk to weave steel nano-fibers into her skin, she's even more durable than she was before! Not to mention the pain killers and healing stimulants she's got pumping through her veins since she's fresh out of the tank! You D list heroes don't stand a chance!"

"And if I don't open that door a boy DIES!" DK silenced him with his raised voice, "I do not believe she is unstoppable, I do not believe there is no chance..." He added, continuing towards the control mechanism, _"I believe in myself, and I believe in these two, the Heroes of Tomorrow."_ Stopping briefly, he looked back at Ryou, "Get them both out of here, I will join you on the surface with Adachi soon."

Ryou hesitated, before looking at both of the older men she knew they would just get in the way here, "Yes sir." She wanted to stay, to make sure Adachi was safe but- _"No, I have to save the lives that I can, DK will get Adachi out!"  
_

 **. . .**

"Gaah!" Adachi cried out in pain, a punch from Failure broadsiding him, sending the boy tumbling across the ground with a broken arm. He was forcing himself up slowly, panting heavily and gripping the damaged limb as it healed steadily, his eyes looked up at Failure as she continued her advance, "Please, you don't need to do this!" He shouted, trying his best to keep his distance, _"Dammit! This place is too cramped, I can't fully transform here, and if I let her get a hold of me... I'll just have to keep dodging and wait for the others!"_

That look in his eyes again, desperation, fear. That was the key, their eyes. She could see the emotions raging, he would fight with greater ferocity in such a state! "You are strong... So FIGHT ME!" Failure demanded, eyes narrowed, growling lowly she cocked back two of her mighty fists for another attack when suddenly the massive doors began to open.

DK stepped through slowly, he'd removed his suit jacket and was now in only the white buttoned up shirt underneath, "I'll tell you this once monster," He said calmly, "Get the HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" His muscles swelled up as he started charging his Quirk, his fur growing thicker.

Failure turned all her attention to not just him but the door behind him. It was open now, she could pursue that man. That terrible, terrible man, "You... In the way!" She shouted, breaking into a sprint towards him ready to lay into this new, unknown enemy.

But she'd underestimated him, assuming her speed was greater. And when DK reached her fist, Failure's eyes widened, "Too slow!" His mighty arms swinging forward, "MONSTER!" His eyes glowing and teeth grit, _"I may be old... But I won't let anyone else suffer because of this monster!"_ He unleashing his super powered fists, slamming into her body with earth shattering force, "FISTS OF THE BEAST KING!"

"Gaaah!" Failure howled in shock, the blows striking her chest and ribs, sending her flying right off her feet before she had a chance to activate her Quirk. She slammed into the far wall, getting lodged in place for the moment and not moving.

"Hnngh!" DK nearly fell to his knees, muscles shrinking down, knuckles skinned and bleeding from the force of the attack, "C-Come on, we need to get out here!" His eyes darting to the Failure, the mutant starting to struggle to break free. _"She's alive, and still kicking? That was my ultimate attack! They certainly weren't lying when they said she was durable..."_

Adachi wasn't going to argue, together the two began moving out into the hall and back towards the elevator. They would have to climb up but that was fine, Adachi could help DK get out. Based on the rumbling up above, they knew it was only a matter of time before the building came down on top of this place. They were just making their way up the shaft, Adachi in Croc form digging into the wall to climb while DK hung onto his tail, when they heard more noise from above. Stone crumbling, metal creaking and shifting as the buildings frame started to give way.

"We need to move faster!" DK shouted, based on the sounds and debris raining down the elevator shaft, they were quickly running out of time!

"Hang on!" Adachi replied, trying to move faster as they neared the first floor, "We're almost out!" When he heard a voice behind them.

"You WON'T ESCAPE!"

 **. . .**

"Take these two into Custody," Ryou ordered, handing off Daito and Rito to the police who quickly cuffed them. She was about to go running back in to help the others when the building started to lurch over one side, "Oh no..."

"EVERYONE GET BACK!" An officer shouted, cameras and helicopters watching as the six story building started to crumble. Luckily it was falling within its own property, only small bits of debris reaching the street over but it was a thunderous crash. An explosion of ash, dirt and dust filling the air and making it harder to see while some of the blue flames splashed against the ground.

"No no no..." Ryou muttered, waving her hands to try and clear the dust while her eyes scanned the mountain of rubble, "DK! RIZADO!" She cried out, hoping for any response at all, knots forming in her stomach as only silence answered her, "W-We need rescue crews in there now! There are two heroes trapped in th-"

She was cut off as the rubble began to shake in one area. Slowly being pushed aside.

Ryou smiled in relief, "Oh thank goodness they're-"

"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Dust erupted, stones and rubble flying, as an unfamiliar form emerged.

"No... Not you..." Ryou's eyes widened, watching as that monster Failure inhaled her first breaths of fresh air.

She looked battered, covered in dirt and dust, her silver mane glimmering in the blue firelight. She was covered in scrapes and cuts from the debris, but she was still standing and she didn't look happy.

"AAAGH!" Someone from the crowd screamed, seeing the terrifying beast, drawing her attention directly to the people.

"HAAAAH!" Failure roared, jumping free of the rubble and landing in the street in front of the ruined building, panting for breath and taking in her surroundings.

 _"If she got out here does that mean DK and Adachi are-"_

"HAAAAAAH!" Failure cried once more, as the police tried to get people clear of the area, she charged reaching out with one mighty hand aiming for the closest person she could see. Her lust for battle was growing, and her anger over losing the chance to catch the ones who tormented her had reached the boiling point.

"I won't let you!" Ryou declared, bursting into action.

Failure was surprised by her speed, looking down at Ryou. The young girl was glowing, eyes flashing and light sparking off her body. Her hand was gripping Failure's wrist, holding her back, "You... In my way!" She growled out, starting to push her back before realizing Ryou wouldn't budge.

Ryou clenched her teeth tightly, eyes flashing, "Then make me move!"

 **. . .**

"Gentle! You know you shouldn't be staying up so late, you'll get bags under your eyes!" The voice of La Brava sounded, as she approached her partner in crime. The man was leaning forward in his seat, the TV before him displaying the news, "Hello? What's got you so distracted?" She asked, before recognizing someone on screen.

"If you're just tuning in we're coming to LIVE from over Dokuga, where an attack by the League of Villains seems to have drawn out some kind of monster from inside Forma-Gen's building!" The woman in the chopper exclaimed, "We're still a little fuzzy on the details, but the police are scrambling to evacuate the area, and we only have sight of one hero though we believe the others may have been inside the building when it collapsed!"

"Is that... Ryou?" La Brava muttered, stepping closer to see, watching as she held back the large four armed monster, "Is... Is she going to be okay?"

Gentle clenched his hands tightly, remembering that sweet girl who helped them move in, "I... I hope so, La Brava."

 **. . .**

"Megaton PUNCH!" Ryou cried, slugging Failure in the jaw as hard as she could. Making the beast stumble back a bit as a shock wave unleashed from the impact point. But she bounced back quick, swinging high and aiming for Ryou's head with her own punch. The young Hero managing to back step out her range just in time, _"I'm faster than her, but I don't know if I can hit her hard enough to take her down! Its time I put that new power to the test!"_

All around her people were fleeing the scene, being directed by firefighters and police to get clear of the area. Weighing her options, Ryou knew that staying closer to Forma-Gen was the best idea, try to keep Failure from attacking anyone in the surrounding buildings. Luckily, this late at night these other warehouses and businesses were mostly empty.

"Hnngh! You... You try to hurt ME?!" Failure roared, lunching for her again and slamming her trembling arms into the street when Ryou jumped out of the way, "Strong... And fast!"

"Agh!" Ryou gasped, the impact sending her slid back on her heels, the earth was torn asunder as chunks of cement and asphalt were sent flying, _"This crazy monster, she's going to tear the entire city apart at this rate!"_ She braced herself, starting to let that energy build up inside of her as he hair shimmered and her body glowed, power sparking from her body, "COME AND GET ME MONSTER!" Holding up her right arm, her open palm facing Failure.

"You fast... Too fast," Failure growled lowly, her entire body starting to tremble, her sharp eyes focusing onto Ryou, "Make you... SLOW DOWN!"

Ryou's eyes widened, as Failure crossed the distance between them with a single leap. Moving far faster than before, her feet not even tearing up the ground. But just as she closed the distance, Ryou unleashed her attack, "MEGATON CANON!"

The burst of force hit Failure dead center of the torso. Blasting her back across the across the streets, tumbling to a stop while the windows around were blasted out, and fires fed on the winds she created. While on the opposite end, Ryou slid back on her heels. But thanks to her support brace, her arm felt no backlash, no pain. Failure picked herself up slowly, appearing confused as if she didn't know what just hit her. Shaking her head, her senses returned and she glared at Ryou, "Strong..." A sharp toothed, wicked smile split her lips, "Very strong..." Before her tongue snaked out, licking a bit of the blood that was running down her face from earlier injuries.

 _"The blast sent her flying, but it doesn't look she sustained any real damage."_ Ryou narrowed her eyes, staying on guard, _"I need to find a way to hit her harder with it!"_

"Show... Me... MORE!" Raising all four arms, Failure slammed her fists into the earth. Uprooting asphalt and dirt in an explosion of dust and debris, sending it flying in all directions.

"Ngh! D-Dammit!" Ryou gasped, backstepping to try and get clear of the cloud obscuring her vision.

Her heart skipped a beat, as Failure came charging through it at full speed, "FIGHT ME!" She roared, swinging two heavy handed punches. Ryou brought up her right arm, attempting to block the incoming attack. On impact she could feel her support item give way with a metallic crunch. Luckily the shock absorbers prevented her from taking more than a bit of blunt force.

"Hnnngh!" Digging in her heels, she aimed her left hand at Failure's chest, "HAAAH!" Another thunderous blast, this time it knocked the wind right out of Failure as she slid back. Her body had been weighted down more this time, so she didn't go more then twenty feet while sliding on her heels. The moment she was clear, Ryou's eyes darted down to her right arm, _"Crap, that bracer is busted, unless I remove it I won't be able to move that arm very well."_ She realized, gripping the broken item binding her arm, _"But if I try firing off too many blasts without it, I could seriously hurt myself."_ As Failure shook off the attack, wincing and holding her ribs, Ryou made her decision, _"I'll just have to hope one bracer is enough!"_

Failure cocked an eyebrow, watching as she tore off the busted piece of equipment. Her eyes read Ryou's movements, the way she changed stance to lead with her left arm, the one that still had her sleeve, _"Weapon?"_ She wondered, narrowing her eyes before her body began to tremble, "HRAAAAAH!"

With a light weight body, Failure launched herself at Ryou once again. Attacking full force and trying to reach her as quickly as she could. This time however, she knew the attack was coming and mid flight started to make her body heavier!

Ryou raised her still protected arm, "How many times do I have to blow you away!?" She demanded, arm sparking with energy before she released the wave of force from her hand. Stumbling back a bit from the blast, she could feel it starting to effect her body. Even with the shock absorbers, the repeated releases were starting to chip away at her stamina, "What!?" Her eyes widened in fear, as Failure blasted right through the force with her weighted body.

"Got you!" She declared with a wicked, gleeful grin, taking a mighty swing at Ryou with her heavy arms.

"AAAAGH!" She cried out, the blow broadsiding her with incredible force. It sent her flying up another street, deeper into the city. She crashed through the street, banging and rolling against the hard ground...

 **. . .**

"The scene unfolding behind me is one all too familiar!" The young man reporting on site cried out, a crowd of people around them while Police were trying to direct people away, "A massive villain has appeared in Dokuga, and while one young hero is trying to stop it there has been no sign of the other Pro Heroes in the area but it is believed they may have been buried when the Forma-Gen building collapsed just a short while ago! I was told some rescue workers were diverted to the area to look for them as well!"

"Agh!" A few cries drew their attention, the camera quickly shifting to the body flying towards them. Getting a close up as Ryou tumbled to a stop in the middle of the street at the edge of the crowd.

"A-And there is the brave young girl who has been fighting the Villain responsible for this destruction!"

"Where are the other pros!?" Tetsutetsu demanded, stomping his feet as all of Class 1-B watched the television, "This is garbage! She needs HELP!"

"I don't know," Ibara shook her head, "But all we can do now is pray for Ryou's safety..."

 **. . .**

When Ryou opened her eyes, she was looking into the faces of various people. Police officers and citizens alike, who had only made it so far in their evacuation. Her body felt heavy, the attack and the tumble that followed had banged her up quite a bit. Her costume was torn in a few places, dirty and scuffed up.

"H-Hang on! Give us a hand here!" The voice of a stranger sounded, as rather raggedy man helped Ryou get up, offering her support with the help of another, "Are you alright young lady?"

 _"This man..."_ She recognized him, one of the many faces she'd seen in the bad side of town when she went to see her father, "Thanks, I'm-"

But before she had time to say anything, heavy footsteps sounded behind her.

Failure had a twisted grin on her face, watching the fearful faces of those around Ryou. She had figured it out, what made them fight so hard. These Heroes she'd been battling, they fought fiercest when protecting something. She wanted to see more, wanted to FEEL more!

"That monster is still coming!" Someone shouted.

A few officers raised their weapons, "E-Everyone get back! Keep moving!"

"Hurry we need to get out of here!"

Gritting her teeth, Ryou broke free of the men's grip and stumbled forward, "N-No, get moving!" She ordered, regaining her composure. Looking back at them, she gave a thumbs up, flashing her biggest smile, "Everything is going to be okay! I'll take care of it! Just get to safety!" She ordered, turning back around to face Failure. Her body starting to light up once more, _"I have to stop her, I have to keep going, I HAVE TO PROTECT THEM!"_ Clenching her fists, she braced herself, _"I have to hold my ground!"_

Failure saw that fierce look in her eyes, and knew now was the time! Making her body lighter, she crouched down before launching herself directly at Ryou! "FIGHT ME!" She roared, reaching out with all four arms, her body growing heavier mid flight to create a powerful impact.

"COME ON THEN!" Ryou answered her, taking Failure head on. She knew trying to blow her away wouldn't work, now that Failure had figured out how to power through her attack. So she met the monster head to head, the two colliding in an explosion of power. She had Failure by two of her wrists, the other arms however were still free to move! Even so, Ryou didn't let go, she dug in her heels and kept her body supercharged trying to do everything she could to hold the monster back.

Even so, the force carried her back. The crowd scattered around them in all directions while police tried to handle the chaos. No one besides a few on site cameramen kept up with the battle. Failure drove Ryou further up the road, finally carrying her right through a fence, smashing her into an open lot outside of some old warehouses. But even so, Ryou never let go, wincing in pain as the fencing tore through her cape and the back of her costume a bit.

 _"Not strong enough, not STRONG!"_ Failure's eyes narrowed down at her, growling in disappointment, "Hrrrgh! WEAK!" She shouted, one of her extra arms punching Ryou right across the mouth, splitting her lip, "You were strong! Show me strong! OR GET OUT OF MY WAY!" She commanded, her other free hand striking Ryou in the left side of her face, splitting her skin just above her eye causing blood to run down her face.

 _"Come on THINK! I need a plan!"_ Ryou mentally kicked herself, wincing in pain as Failure delivered blow after blow, slowing pushing her back, _"I can't beat her alone! She's too strong! B-But I can't back down!"_ Gritting her teeth, her arms crying in pain under the strength of Failure's forceful push, she looked up at the monster with fearsome eyes, "You will not get past me! I am going to protect EVERYONE!" Energy sparked off of her body, veins glowing bright as she held Failure at bay for the moment. She had to keep her focus, if she slipped up now-

"No... You are... WEAK!" She snarled, unimpressed with her dwindling power. Her free hands grabbed Ryou by her wrists, and started bending back her arms, "You are just... In my way!" She leaned in closer, her face only inches apart from Ryou's fierce eyes, as a twisted sneer appeared on the monsters lips. "You protect them? You need to be STRONG! I'll kill them! I'll crush them! BREAK THEM! BECAUSE YOU'RE WEAK!"

"Gnnngh! AAAAGH!" Ryou cried out in pain as her arms were twisted back, _"I-I can't hold it! Focus is... Slipping!"_ She hoped nobody else was around, she couldn't afford to hold anything back anymore, "Plus... Ultra... RELEASE!" Her long mohawk whipped around wildly, her muscles swelled and her eyes went pure blue. The sudden, blinding lights and forceful gust of wind her body unleashed made Failure hesitate, grip loosening for a split second. And that was all the time Ryou needed, "HAAAAAH!" Breaking her arms free, she ducked low and charged, "MEGATON LARIAT!"

"GAH!" Failure's eyes bulged as Ryou's super charged forearm struck her in the ribs. The first blow to really make her feel it, her newly reinforced body finally giving way as she slid back on her heels. But before she had time to linger on the idea, Ryou's fist struck her in the jaw after she'd crossed the distance between them. The blow carried Failure right off her feet, sending her spirally into a parked car outside of the lot. Her heavy body smashed into it, heavily damaging the vehicle. "Nngh... Stronger... Much stronger!" Her eyes opened wide with excitement, ignoring any pain she was in.

"You think this is a GAME!?" Ryou demanded, lunging at Failure once more. This time however, the mutant had weighted down her body, and was taking Ryou's blows head on. As the young hero's knuckles struck her in the jaw once again she pivoted on one foot, springing back and slugging Ryou as well. The Hero stumbled a bit, blood running from her mouth before she jumped, slamming her head into Failure's face trying to break her nose, "You don't understand anything you punch hungry MONSTER!"

Failure managed to grab her by the front of her costume, grinning madly as her claws tore through a bit of the fabric. She spun around, and slammed Ryou right into the ground, cracking the asphalt, "YES! I understand, you are STRONG! I want to fight more! SHOW ME MORE!" She raised her arms, intending to crush Ryou's body.

But she was far from finished.

As Failure stood over Ryou, the young heroes unprotected right arm lit up. Consequently, it was the one directly beneath her, "This isn't a game!" Before Failure could brace herself or weigh down her body, Ryou unleashed a might explosion of force. It sent Failure sky high, blasting her into the smoke clouds above. Ryou rose to her feet, clenching her numb right arm while her powers slowly began to fade, _"I'm out of time!"_

"That was WEAK!" Failure cried, breaching the clouds above her, entire body trembling as she fell towards Ryou, "Is that all you have!? WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE YOU WANT TO PROTECT!?" She demanded, trying to drag out every ounce of power Ryou had, hungry for more, "WILL YOU LET THEM DIE!?"

Ryou jumped clear, as Failure slammed into the street. Even with her right arm numb, she raised them both, aiming her palms at Failure, "I can't forget them," She said, gritting her teeth while digging in her heels to brace herself, "Your lust for fighting is why you'll never understand!" All the lights flowing through her body focused into her arms, "A Hero has so many things to protect in this world! WHICH IS WHY I HAVE TO BEAT YOU!" As the incredible force ripped through her body, Ryou's other arm brace started breaking away, "Megaton... BUSTER!"

The explosion that followed sent rubble and dirt sky high, a plume of dust reaching up to join the smoke while the billowing wind that accompanied the attack blew away nearby fires. Surrounding buildings were without windows, many suffering structural damage and those on the receiving end were completely in ruin. The street itself before Ryou had been reduced to a deep trench in the earth, as the young Hero panted heavily surveying the damage. Both of her arms hurt, though she was pretty confident her left would be okay her right arm was bleeding from a few places including her finger tips. The lights around her body had faded completely, but unlike before when she'd used her Ultra Release against All Might her body wasn't damaged for the most part. Her entire body was sore however, knuckles bloody from punching Failure's durable body with so much power.

She could hear rubble and dirt coming down around her as the dust began to settle. But Ryou wasn't letting her guard down, afraid that any moment Failure might-

"Hnngh..." Her eyes darted to the distant end of the trench. Rubble and asphalt were being turned aside, as Failure broke free of the ruined remains. Her arms looked heavily damaged, the skin was bloody and scrapped away along the outer area of them showing exactly how she'd defended herself. As she stood up tall, and moved her arms around a bit to make sure they were functional, Ryou felt a terrible dread setting in, "Strong... So strong but..." Her deadly eyes landed on her once more, "No more power."

 _"That was... That was everything I had left..."_ Ryou thought grimly, taking a single step back out of fear.

"Not fast anymore either, are you?" Failure questioned, sneering wickedly, "Too bad... I win."

Ryou's instincts demanded she run but, "No... Not yet," She muttered, clenching her fist and entering her fighting stance once more, "I'm not dead yet!"

Failure hesitated for a moment, surprised by her response. Half expecting her power to return, but when nothing happened she was even more confused, "Hrrm? Should be running... Afraid."

"I'm terrified," Ryou answered confidently, "But if I can buy even just one more second for those trying to escape than I've done my duty as a HERO!"

"But... Weak, you can't-" Failure shook her head, growling in anger and unable to understand her reasoning, "GAAH! Don't care! I'll kill you NOW!"

 **"** **GRAAAAAAAAA!"**

Both Failure and Ryou's eyes darted to the left, following the sound of the roar to see the massive fully transformed body of Adachi glowing in the night. But he wasn't alone, "CHARGE YOU BIG SCALY BASTARD!"

 **"HRAAAAH!"** With a thunderous roar, Adachi broke into a sprint straight for Failure and Ryou. DK was standing on his back, both heroes looking battered and covered in ash and dust from the rubble they had no doubt been pulled out of.

"A-Adachi... DK!" Ryou's face lit up, tears nearly forming in her eyes as hope shined through the black night sky.

"NOW!" DK ordered, "Do it NOW!"

 **"On it!"** Adachi replied, his twin tail reaching up and wrapping it around DK's waist. Before the monster pivoted, spun around and threw DK as hard as he could!

"FLYING BEAST KING FIST!" DK roared, his right arm swelling up with power. He attacked while Failure was still trying to get a handle on the situation, slamming into her with incredible force, fist meeting her jaw. The blow sent Failure flying right off her feet and crashing into a nearby edge of the trench, while DK hit the ground, tumbling with the momentum.

 _"My turn!"_ Adachi inhaled sharply, feathers along his back burning brighter, before he opened his jaws wide and unleashed a brilliant beam of fire, **"HRAAAAH!"** On impact with the monster, it created a fiery explosion scorching the earth with brilliant blue fire and blasting Failure even deeper beneath the ground.

As the attack came to an end, DK got up and ran over to Ryou, "Megaton! Are you alright!?" He asked, looking her over carefully.

"I-I'm pretty banged up, but I'm alright," Ryou answered him, wincing when he touched her checking out the damage, "I-I'm so glad you're both okay... You're going to need everything you've got to take her down."

"You think so?" DK questioned, before the rubble behind them was already shifting, "Shit..."

"YOU!" Failure's voice rang out, as she exploded from the rubble, fire and stone were sent flying. Her body was covered in scrapes and burns now, her mouth dripping blood from DK's attack, but her lips were wide with a feral grin. Excitement coursing through her veins as she remembered this beast from the bridge.

Just as she thought things were going to get boring, the game went right into overtime...


	54. Victory Rush! Go Beyond Your Limits!

**Only one more after this everyone! Hold tight because we've got a hell of a ride coming up here :D**

* * *

"YOU!"

Adachi barely had time to react, as Failure charged him like a mad beast after breaking free of the earth. Her body was covered in burns now, thanks to their combined assault. But she was still going strong, not that Adachi cared. Turning halfway, he swung at her with his massive tail, knowing she'd made herself lighter to move so quickly. He slammed into her with his powerful limb, sending her flying and smashing through another building.

Before throwing back his head, **"HRAAAAAAH!"** And charging off after her. He felt bad for her, but after seeing this destruction she was capable, what she could do if left unchecked. Adachi had to set his feelings aside and act like a Hero.

Meanwhile, DK turned to Ryou, "Find your way to an ambulance, we'll take it from here."

"Wait!" Ryou reached out with her still functional arm, the numbness slowly ebbing away, "What's your plan?"

"The doctor said something about her body being reinforced," DK explained quickly, "Steel fibers woven into her body, meaning she's probably a lot heavier too, so we're gonna try and get her to the water where her combat abilities will be less effective and maybe we can even drown her."

Ryou took a step to follow him, "Let me help!My Quirk is tapped out but-"

"No!" He turned on her sharply, "Its too dangerous, you've gone well past your limit... Let us handle this." DK ordered, before he took off running towards the battle.

Ryou lowered her good arm, watching him run back towards the ongoing battle. She looked around at all the wanton destruction, before her fingers clenched into a fist, _"I can't just run away... Even if I can't use my Quirk anymore, I can still help!"_

 **. . .**

"YES!" Failure cried out gleefully, using a lamp post like a bat to smash against Adachi's hard head. The beast recoiling only briefly before snapping at her with his large jaws, she jumped over him and brought her arms together, "GIVE ME MORE!"

 _"Not so fast!"_ Adachi got his head clear just as she slammed into the street, tearing up what little was left of the road. Before he slashed at her with his clawed feet, battering Failure left and right while his talons raked her hardy hide only chipping through in a few places, _"She's definitely stronger! But we're getting closer to the water! Just two streets over and we'll be at the beach!"_

"HAH!" She grabbed a hold of one hand, before she spun around with all her might, "SHOW ME YOUR STRENGTH!" Pulling Adachi right off his feet, she threw him into what remained a small store. His large body crashing through the remaining frame, making to break down on top of him. In the brief moment of respite, she panted heavily to catch her breath. The adrenaline coursing through her veins had her riding a wild high, the battle was incredible and she didn't want it to end! Not until it was indisputable that she was the strongest!

 _"Damn she's tough,"_ Adachi slowly rose from the rubble, all four eyes locked onto Failure. From her heavy breathing, the way she occasionally flinched and twitched, he could tell she was hurting, whatever pain killers were coursing through her after breaking out of that vat must have finally been starting to wear off. But this insane blood lust made her love every second of it, _"She's already so damaged from fighting Ryou, how much more can she take?_ _But I'm not done either, I'm just getting started!"_ He opened wide and unleashed another thunderous roar.

"YES! Keep FIGHTING!" Failure demanded, clenching all four fists tightly.

"Yoohoo!" The mutants eyes darted to the sound, turning just in time to see a mighty furred arm swinging at her, "KINGS FIST!"

DK nailed her, slammed her face with his augmented fist and sent Failure tumbling while she held her face. But after coming to a stop and pulling herself up, the mutant narrowed her eyes at him, blood running from her nose, "Heh... Heheheh, yes... More FIGHT!"

Adachi quirked an eyebrow as Failure started squaring up with DK, _"Wait a minute... Its like she's completely forgotten that I'm here."_ Taking his opportunity, he lunged like a predator pouncing on his prey. Taking Failure completely off guard, his jaws snapped shut around her body. He turned and swung as hard as he could, throwing her through the air and over some of the rubble towards the water front, _"She's got total tunnel vision when fighting! Maybe... Maybe we can use that to beat her!"_

Adachi looked and nodded to DK, before roaring and chasing after her.

Failure hit the ground hard, tumbling to a stop in the sand before she slowly began rising to her feet, cool ocean wind blowing in behind her. Wincing in pain, she had a few teeth marks covering her body but none had actually managed to pierce her new hardened skin, "Hmmph... Annoying," She growled lowly as Adachi charged through the debris, racing towards her, "Should wait your TURN!"

The two met head on, as Adachi snapped at her with his jaws she sidestepped having read his movements. After avoiding the attack, she countered hard. Swinging two massive fists up towards the underside of his jaw, making them heavier, more dense. She hit like a truck, jarring the boys entire body with the attack and making his head snap the side. Teetering off balance he rolled forward with the momentum, sliding to a stop at the edge of the waterfront while his body started to slowly revert to his smaller form.

"RIZADO!" DK called out as he reached the scene, panting lightly before his eyes turned on Failure, _"Dammit, that looked like it hit hard, gotta keep her busy while Adachi recovers, gotta try to drive her into the water!"_

DK jumped down, tearing away what was left of his suit shirt as his muscles expanded. While his arms and upper torso grew bigger his legs didn't change, giving a far more ape-like body structure. Failure turned all attention to him, excited for another fight. She charged, "What can you do hairy man!?"

 _"This is it! All or nothing! DO OR DIE!"_ DK clenched his fists tightly, leading with a heavy handed punch, "I can KICK YOUR ASS!"

 **. . .**

Ryou was following the fight from further back for safety, but as Adachi went down and DK engaged Failure she started making her way down to the waterfront. Making sure to steer clear of the area, as DK used his immense strength to try and force Failure closer to the water. Luckily all that extra fur and muscle made great protection against her attacks. The two were trading heavy handed blows left and right, Failure's injuries allowing DK to keep up with her, at this rate they might just wear her down...

"Adachi, hey!" She said, nudging him with one hand as she knelt down beside him, "You still alive?"

"Ugh... My jaw, my head, my-" He looked down at his body while sitting up, "Holy crap she punched the Kaiju right out of me." The boy groaned, rubbing his jaw, "Ryou? What are you still doing here? You should have gotten to an ambulance."

"Its okay, the adrenaline hasn't stopped yet so I barely feel it." She assured, despite her body also feeling sore and tired, "Kinda starting to think a slug fest isn't the best way to handle this one though." Ryou added, watching as DK and Failure traded blows.

"Yeah... Failure, geez... She seems almost unstoppable." Adachi nodded slowly, rising to his feet.

"Failure? That's her name?" Ryou questioned, "Interesting choice, as far as combat goes she seems like a rousing success..."

"That's what she named herself, actually," Adachi muttered, before looking to Ryou, "She just loves fighting, I'm sure you noticed, and she focuses so intently on her opponent, and even learns while fighting... But her combat sense is awful, she's got tunnel vision." He explained, "I think we can beat her, but we need to focus on her weakness." But before he continued, he looked at Ryou, holding a leveled gaze, "You've already gone past your limit, so I won't ask you to help but... If you want to stay, I promise I'll protect you."

Ryou blinked, blushing lightly at the intensity of his promise. The confidence in his voice, you'd think they weren't fighting a genetic monstrosity that had already leveled a good portion of the bay area. "Heh, you know Adachi, it's moments like this with you that make me question whether... Well, you sure know how to confuse a girl."

Adachi blinked, "Wait what?"

"No time to chit chat TELL ME THE PLAN!"

"R-Right, so remember our Practical Exam?"

 **. . .**

"HAAAH!" DK delivered one more heavy handed punch, one that sent Failure sliding back on her heels, before his arms started to shrink back to normal size, "Damn this old age..." He muttered, panting heavily.

Failure herself seemed quite tired, maybe she was nearing some kind of limit after all this time? It was hard to tell, she showed no sign of dismay just that excited look in her eyes as DK started showing his weakness, "Yes, falling apart... Weak." She growled lowly, licking her lips.

"Shit..." He spat a bit of blood from his mouth, looking around for any sign of Adachi but not spotting him anywhere, _"Come on kid this would be a great time for a heroic entry... I'm at my limit here!"_

"HEY!" Both DK and Failure looked towards the source, spotting Ryou standing on the nearby flood wall.

"WHAT!? I-I told you to leave Megaton!" DK barked at her.

Failure narrowed her eyes at Ryou, "Hrrr... No, you are out of power, no more strength."

"That's what you think!" Ryou declared confidently, aiming her less injured left arm at Failure, "Get ready for my Ultra Hidden technique!" Her fingers sparked a small amount of energy, creating a little bit of light.

Failure's eyes widened at the gesture, she dug her heels into the sand and braced herself for the attack by raising her arms before her, "Still have power? That's-"

"Made you look!" Ryou shouted suddenly, sticking out her tongue at Failure.

The monsters brow raised in confusion, "What? Made me-"

"GRAAH!" The attack came from behind, as a pair of powerful jaws clamped down on her ribs in the same spot her body had been pierced on the bridge. Failure hissed in pain, reaching down to try and pry him off but his jaw strength was incredible! He bit down harder and harder, even if he couldn't pierce her skin the pressure was making her bones start to crack and snap audibly. Adachi's jaw strength in croc form was enough to crush concrete, more than enough to break her down... Hopefully.

"Gnngh! Let... Me... GO!" She finally managed to rip him off, but not before Adachi tore away a meaty chunk from her side making her howl in pain. As the young hero tumbled away, he quickly rose to his feet and unleashed a swathe of flames towards her feet.

Blue fire scorched the earth around her, surrounding Failure in light, "What!?" She exclaimed, gripping her bleeding ribs. The tongues of fire licked and lashed at her body, but that wasn't the problem, her hide could take the fire. All these flames were sapping the oxygen out of her immediate area. Making it harder to focus or even breathe, realizing she was surrounded by three enemies, the bright fire also making it harder to see.

"Come on," Adachi muttered, holding his ground after spitting out some of Failure's blood, "Just go down..."

"HhrrrRRAAAGH!" She slammed her fists into the sand, blowing away the flames with wind pressure and erupting sand, panting heavily for breath while the heroes watched her closely for a counter attack, "Gnngh!" She stumbled suddenly, wincing in pain nearly collapsing beneath her own weight, one of her four arms holding her bleeding side to try and staunch the blood flow.

But that simple movement was enough to bolster their confidence.

She could show weakness.

She could be beaten!

"She's teetering, nice work you two." DK nodded, as Ryou and Adachi gathered at his position, "We can do this, just one more strong push! I'll take lead while you two-"

"No," Adachi cut him off sharply, "I'll take the lead," He added, holding a leveled gaze, "You're at your limit, both of you, I've still got some kick left... I can take whatever she dishes out." He assured, shrinking down to skink form, "I've got enough stamina, I'll heal whatever she breaks."

Ryou looked at him worriedly, understanding what he was offering, "Adachi you don't have to put yourself through that."

"I've still got my physical strength." DK argued as well.

"Then use it to hit her as hard as you can, I'll take the beating." Adachi answered firmly, "Now come on! She's not going to wait forever!"

 _"What's happening!?"_ Failure demanded, trying to activate her Quirk but having no luck, _"Power not... Where is it!?"_ She grit her sharp teeth and slammed her feet into the wet sand sinking in a bit, "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY POWER!?" She screamed, voice echoing along the coast.

"You're at your limit," Adachi answered her sharply, bracing himself, "Your Quirk is tapped out."

"Limit!?" She repeated, glaring daggers at all three of them.

"Whether you want to believe it or not, the power you have isn't infinite," DK grunted, holding his position, "You've been using your Quirk non-stop, against Megaton, Rizado and myself... Your body has been battered and injured, you can't keep fighting, your body is breaking down on you."

Her fists clenched tightly, thinking about Ryou's energy fading, Adachi reverting to his smaller form and DK's muscles shrinking, "No... That's... That's WEAK! I... I am STRONG!" Raising her arms over her head, they slowly began to tremble, as Failure tried forcing her Quirk to work, "I WANT TO FIGHT!"

This wasn't fun anymore, she didn't want to play this game.

The trembling slowly shifted to her entire body, her eyes wild with fury, "AAAAAAAAAGH!" But her screaming had the opposite effect on them this time, rather than unnerve the heroes, it bolstered their confidence!

"HAAAAH!" All three Heroes cried out defiantly in response, charging Failure head on as she launched herself at them.

Adachi took the lead as promised, meeting her flying charge with his body while the others split up. On impact, she slammed his torso with bone shattering force using her incredible strength. He was sent tumbling away, body starting to heal itself as he hit the dirt. He was focusing all of his energy into healing, to get back up. But at the same time, the moment Failure landed her attack, DK and Ryou attacked from the flanks!

"Kiloton Kick!"

"Kings Fist!"

Ryou's boot struck Failure's neck, while DK landed a blow across her jaw on the opposite side. Even with their Quirks tapped for power, they had exceptional physical strength. As blood flew from Failure's mouth, she reached out for both of them, "I'LL CRUSH Y- GAH?!" A blinding ball of fire to the face halted her strike.

"You'll have to get through me FIRST!" Adachi shouted, body not fully healed but it was enough to move. His arms were still broken but he'd regenerated enough to get moving and was now rushing her once more.

Failure swung at him blindly, the brightness of his fire leaving a lasting effect on her eyes in the dark. She swung like a made beast, but Adachi used his tail to spring clear over her attack. Landing on her shoulders, he wrapped his tail around her neck and tightened the grip attempting to choke her out. She was about to reach up to rip him off when DK attacked, driving his fist into her bloody ribs, "DON'T LET UP!"

"Take THIS!" Ryou joined in, jumping to Failure's height and smashing a knee into her face.

"GRAAAAAAAH!" Failure screamed in a mixture of pain and anger, Adachi let go and got clear before she had a chance to grab him. The beast was fighting on pure adrenaline now, no focus or reason in her eyes.

"Dammit! We need to hit her HARDER!" DK barked, jumping back as she lunged at him.

A thought came to mind, Adachi looked between them both, "I need someone to throw me!" He called out, remembering the attack he and DK had performed earlier.

"What?" Ryou questioned, wincing in pain from her own injuries.

"Just throw me at her!" Adachi ordered, moving towards her, "I've got a really bad idea!"

Ryou knew this wasn't the time to argue, she nodded and held out her left arm the one that was still uninjured, "Alright lets do it!"

Adachi offered Ryou her tail. She grabbed on tight and grit her teeth, mustering every bit of strength she had left while DK ducked Failure trying to keep her preoccupied. The girl began to spin around, picking up speed as her left arm glowed faintly through her skin. A few faint lights sparked around her, every bit of power she had left. "Hnnngh! A-Alright Adachi! GO!"

"AAAGH!" Adachi cried as he flew towards her, "MY Ultimate Move!" His body started to grow rapidly, muscles tearing as he forced the transformation.

DK realized what was happening, just as Failure landed a solid hit sending him flying. As the older Hero tumbled to a stop in the sand he cried out, "FINISH IT!"

The genetic monster turned to face her oncoming foe, just a second too late, **"KAIJUUUU! IMPACT!"**

The massive, tumbling beast slammed into Failure full force. Carrying Failure right off her feet, smashing through a nearby wooden dock and all the way into the side of a docked fishing boat. The impact sent waves through the water, wood debris flying everywhere along with an explosion of sand and sea water from Adachi's incredible weight laying into her.

As the noise died down, and both Ryou and DK looked on with baited breath daring to hope that it was finally over...

Adachi groaned in pain, slowly shrinking down to his skink form again, "Ow... I think I got a splinter..."

"Gnngh..." If his body wasn't so tired, he would have jumped when Failure groaned. Her body twitched slightly, but the beast had been broken by the weight of Adachi's Kaiju Form.

"Adachi!" Ryou and DK called out, moving towards him slowly but it was clear they were both tired and battered as well.

But before they could get much closer, a wave of flames spread across the sand between them. Both heroes stood on guard, following it to the source as an all too familiar voice spoke up, "I think we can end the show here, it was such a lovely finale." Her voice was filled with amusement, "Time for the after credits scene~"

"No..." Adachi muttered, eyes going wide with fear as he stared up at her, "I was so focused on Failure... I forgot all about-" It wasn't just her either, both Fenix and Vector stood by her side along with another man that had darker skin, textured like rough dirt. The group descended nearby stairs that ran alongside the docs to the waters edge.

"Zodiac!?" DK barked in anger, "What the hell do you want!?" Their victory had turned into a crisis, they couldn't fight Zodiac and her gang in this condition.

"Oh, I just came for a little pick up," She assured, walking across the sand towards Failure and Adachi, while Fenix and Vector moved to hold a position between the other heroes and their leader.

Ryou's eyes widened, "STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" She shouted, fearing for Adachi's safety.

Zodiac paused, looking back at her with a glimmer of amusement in her eyes, "No need to be so fussy, nobody here is going to die."

Ryou clenched her fists and moved closer to DK, "She was watching the whole time... She was waiting for the perfect moment to swoop in and-"

"Smart girl," Vector cut her off with a sly grin, "Now be quiet."

Zodiac knelt down, picking up Adachi by his wrists and holding him up to eye level, "You put on a great show, I look forward to when you and I really fight..."

But Adachi remained silent, staring into her eyes with fear filling his own.

Failure stared up at Zodiac, more confused than ever as the villain tossed Adachi roughly to the side. She didn't know who this woman was, but she had a commanding presence, and the look in her eyes was... One she didn't recognize. As the woman knelt down in front of her, and when she reached out, Failure flinched away slightly, "Easy now," She said in a soft tone, "I won't hurt you..." The way she spoke, it made Failure believe her, and as the Zodiac rested her hands on Failure's bloodied cheeks, it was a feeling she had never experienced. Gentle, soft...

 _"What... What is this?"_ Failure wondered, staring into her eyes.

"You poor, beautiful creature... You and I are one in the same, you live for the fight, the rush of dancing between life and death... But you are unrefined, a diamond in the rough," She said in a soothing tone, Failure's initial fears had completely vanished, "Join me, and I will make you unstoppable."

Failure felt something new inside of her, a strange sensation she had never experienced from her times as an experiment or fighting these Heroes. But it made the answer easy, it made her believe everything this strange woman was telling her, "Y-Yes..."

"NO!" DK lunged forward, "I WON'T LET THIS MONSTER REMAIN FREE!"

"Easy old man." Vector chuckled, kicking up a bit of sand, "Wouldn't want to get hurt more than you are right?"

"Agh!" DK gasped in pain, as the sand pellets tore through her body once directed by Vector's powerful Redirection Quirk. DK hit the ground, gripping his arms and legs which were now bleeding, the sand grains had pierced clean through, "Wh-What kind of Quirk is this..."

"A good one." The villain answered smugly.

Bending down, the Zodiac enhanced her strength with various animals and started helping lift Failure up, "We'll get you back home and take away all this pain." She assured, as the group of villains slowly began walking back towards a concrete flood wall, "Krex, if you would."

"Right." The dirty man nodded, placing a hand on the wall. It began to ripple and mold into a doorway, though there should have been nothing on the other side instead it was lit up and filled with equipment! Many other faces were visible watching on the other end of the portal.

"A warp Quirk!?" Ryou exclaimed.

Before continuing, Zodiac stopped and looked back at Adachi, "So, what was that you said last time?"

 _"The next time we meet... If I'm wearing this costume, I will stop you."_

Adachi felt his heart sinking, and couldn't even look up at her, "..."

Zodiac's smug grin faded completely at his lack of a response, "Hmph, and here I had high hopes for you, what a disappointment... See you next time, Kaiji Adachi."

As they stepped through, Fenix looked back at the young heroes, smirking beneath his bandages, "Enjoy your life while you can, the Queen will return stronger than ever before..." And with that, he stepped through as well, the doorway melding back into a normal wall after Krex passed through it as well.

And just like that, their long fought battle came to a terrible end.


	55. Moving On, Goodbye Rin Chikara

**ZX-Writer24: Thanks XD That's exactly what I was going for, I'm so happy Failure turned out how I wanted, I love her lol**

 **Not much else to say, time for the finale of this... Idk, season? I'll have some important notes at the end but before that I'll let you guys enjoy a nice, short and sweet chapter.**

* * *

"Look at what's been happening these last few months-"

"All the extreme villain attacks, many involving these young heroes?"

"Yes! Exactly, we have seen these great and terrible events solved by children!"

"And you don't like seeing the strength in the next Generation of Heroes?"

"I'm just saying, these kids are so much stronger than they should ever have to be, not just physically but emotionally, they are so driven and determined... And they have to be, because our Generation of Heroes has done a bad job."

"You mind turning that off?" Adachi questioned, laying back in his hospital bed, "Watching debate shows gives me a headache..."

Ryou chuckled lightly at that, "Yeah no problem." Flicking off the TV before setting the remote aside. They had spent the night here, and likely wouldn't be able to go back to UA until later after Recovery Girl arrived.

Adachi had seriously burned out his body with all the healing and transforming. While he hadn't suffered any extreme injuries, his stamina was thoroughly drained and he felt exhausted even after sleeping for almost twelve hours.

Ryou on the other hand had some broken ribs, torn muscles in her right arm and plenty of fractures from her brutal fight with Failure. She was heavily bandaged and condemned to bed rest for the time being until Recovery Girl showed up. Similar to Adachi, she'd totally burned out her Quirk and didn't feel that massive energy inside of her, just a small lingering spark that was slowly growing as she regained her strength.

All things considered, they came out of that mess alright.

"So, what do you think happens when we return to school?" Ryou asked curiously.

"Hmm... We'll probably go through some psyche exam to make sure we aren't traumatized," Adachi shrugged, "And then well... We get back to work," He said, before sighing lightly, "I don't know about you... But I'm not happy with how things turned out, next time I wanna be able to stop villains like Failure and the Zodiac, without leveling part of a city."

Ryou nodded her head, "Yeah, I agree... But hey, our faces are all over the news," She grinned at him, "Villains everywhere are gonna know what the next generation is capable of, hopefully that'll have some effect on them."

"Yeah..."

The door slid open suddenly, "Ah so you two slackers aren't asleep still," DK grunted, as his son Ganta wheeled him inside. He was resting in a wheelchair, with both his arms and legs wrapped in bandages as was much of his body for cuts and his broken ribs, "Good!"

"Slackers?" Adachi repeated, "We basically handled that monster all by ourselves!"

"Well if you hadn't let Spitfire and his gang use that bomb maybe we wouldn't have even had to fight it!" He countered, before grinning, "Ah oh well, no big deal... Just ya know, a big portion of the downtown area got leveled..." DK's injuries were similar to Ryou's, a lot of bone fractures and torn muscles from overusing his Quirk. The long term effects however, were more severe considering his age...

Ryou rolled her eyes, "It is impossible to satisfy you isn't it?" Both students realizing he was just poking fun at them by now.

"I'm a jaded old man what do you expect!?" He laughed, before shaking his head, "Yes, I'm old... Too old to be doing this anymore," He sighed lightly, "I'm retired, as of this morning."

Adachi and Ryou blinked in surprise, "Oh..." Instantly thinking it was because of his injuries.

"Don't you two go worrying about it," DK waved them off, "I've been planning on it for awhile now... I just had to make sure I didn't leave any unfinished business," He chuckled, "Though things didn't go exactly as planned, maybe now the Chief can clean up Dokuga properly, and all this media attention will hopefully draw in some more noteworthy Hero Agencies."

Ryou nodded her head, smiling faintly, "Yeah, hopefully..."

Ganta released the handles on his fathers chair, and walked around towards Adachi's bed. He had a serious look, but just as Adachi was about to say something, Ganta bowed his head, "Please forgive my rude behavior towards you! I was angry, and took it out on you rather than trying to solve my own problems!"

Adachi blinked in surprise, before laughing nervously, "Come on, don't go bowing like that, makes me feel weird... I accept your apology."

He raised his head slowly, "And thank you... For saving my home, and fighting alongside my Father."

Adachi nodded his head, "Just doing my job."

"Excuse me?" The door popped open again, a nurse sticking her head inside, "Oh, sorry to bother you all, but someone called asking to speak with Ms. Ryou." She explained, "I would have just wired it to this rooms phone but... They said it would be best if the call was private."

Ryou quirked an eyebrow in confusion, "Oh... Well," Swinging her legs around the side of her bed she stood up, luckily her legs were just sore not injured. "Yeah sure, I guess just point me to a private phone." She shrugged, "Be right back!" She added with a grin, following the nurse out.

As she left, Adachi's thoughts turned briefly to the of the fight and his interaction with Zodiac.

 _"Hmph, and here I had high hopes for you, what a disappointment..."_

He clenched his hands tightly, _"Why? Why is she so interested in me?"_

 **. . .**

Ryou was lead to another room just down the hall, away from any other patients that were being taken care of in the wake of everything that happened. Once inside, the nurse left her alone and put the call through.

Ryou figured it would be All Might, but couldn't imagine why he'd want to speak with her on a private line. She brought the phone up to her ear, "Hello?"

"Rin..." Her eyes widened at the sound of his voice, "Please don't hang up... I just... I called because..."

He seemed to be hesitating, so Ryou took a deep breath and sighed slowly, "Go ahead, I'm listening, Anzo."

"... Right, thank you I..." Her father clearly hadn't expected to make it this far, "I just... You said something about finding closure, and getting things off your chest... I guess I realized, maybe there are some things I wish I'd been able to say... Things that maybe, are easier to say over the phone than in person... If you'll listen."

Ryou took a seat on the edge of the nearest hospital bed, "I'm listening..." Part of her was still conflicted, about how she should feel about him. But the rest of her... The rest of her felt like she had already moved on. After her talk with All Might, she had moved past this, past Anzo.

"I... I am not a good person, I'm a bitter... Miserable fu- jerk..." He began, his voice was low and quivering, he sounded tired, "I don't think anything I say can make up for the things I did to you or what I did to your Mother... I just want you to understand, I never hated you or your Mother... I was an angry person, and because I couldn't lash out at the world I lashed out at the only two things I had that mattered... And because of that, I lost them both."

Ryou felt a lump forming in her throat as she listened, "Yeah..." His voice was... So different than anything she'd heard before.

"When I saw you again, I got angry, frustrated... Not just because I was lied to, but because I was reminded what I failure I am." He explained grimly, "But then... But then I saw you, all of us were huddled around a TV together, watching the news while you and those others heroes fought that... Thing." His voice seemed to pick up in tone, "I heard you, from a camera on scene, I heard your voice."

 _"You will not get past me! I am going to protect EVERYONE!"_

"It was so much different than what you sounded like when you were talking to me," He continued, releasing a short, sad laugh, "It was, amazing... I realized in that moment, what a strong, incredible person you had changed into... Compared to that meek, frightened little girl I remembered... And for the first time in awhile, I was happy, I was really happy... Even as I watched you fight that Monster, I was so happy to see the kind of person you became without me..."

"Anzo..." Ryou muttered, unsure what to say, as she felt heat behind her eyes.

"I felt like I needed to see you again, but then I realized... You don't need me," Anzo didn't let her speak, continuing on his end and saying everything on his mind. The flood gates had opened and everything was coming out. "You aren't Rin anymore... You're this vibrant, strong, beautiful person, you've created your own life despite everything I did to you..." He paused for a moment, and Ryou could hear his shaking breath, "Rinsuke, Rinsuke Ryou... You mentioned that you never wanted to see me again, well that's okay... I don't want to ruin your life or even slow you down anymore, so that's why... I'm going to try and leave Dokuga, before you or anyone else has a chance to come looking for me..."

Ryou's eyes widened at that, "A-Anzo, wait-"

"I want to keep watching, I want to see you grow up," He continued quickly, "But I know, that you can't do that with me around... Because I'm not a good person, so I'll watch from far away, and pray that you find the happiness you deserve... Goodbye, Rinsuke..."

Just as she heard his voice drifting away from the phone, Ryou blurted out without thinking, "Wait! DAD!"

He didn't speak, but he didn't hang up either. Her words had stopped him, if only for a moment.

Something clicked inside of her, like everything that had happened, all these pent up emotions had lead up to this final moment. As her own words, and those of friends and family rang in her mind, reminding her of what really mattered, what it really meant to be a hero.

 _"He just said with my power, I could protect a lot of people... That I could become someone great. It was the first I'd smiled in... As long as I could remember."_

 _"You're really nice... Even though we just met."_

 _"You represented the people that I couldn't save by throwing a punch, or flashing a smile..."_

 _"I decided I wanted to save people, the same way he saved me."_

Ryou pushed forward, tears finally spilling over, "You're right, I don't think I can ever forgive you for what you did..."

Anzo knew this was the most likely answer, but still... He could feel his heart sinking.

"B-But I promise... Someday, I'm going to find you!"

Anzo's tear filled eyes widened, visibly shaken by the sudden conviction in her voice. He was about to reply, opening his mouth to speak when he heard Ryou draw in a deep breath.

"AND I'M GOING TO **SAVE** YOU!"

Before more could be said, Ryou hung up the phone. Clenching her hand tightly as tears rolled down her cheeks. With those words, she finally knew it was over.

In the end, after everything that had happened. She faced herself, and not only accepted the truth of her past, but moved beyond it.

From now on, she could continue without a doubt in her heart.

And she knew, from now on there was no more emotional baggage holding her back.

From now on, Rinsuke would be okay.

"I'm going to save you... Because that's what a Hero does..."

* * *

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 **I hope everyone enjoyed that tearjerker as much as I enjoyed writing it X3**

 **Thank you all so much for sticking with me throughout this rewrite, I'm happy that the story has grown beyond its original and I am certainly in agreement with most people who say it is much better than the original.**

 **But now, I'll address the future of "Heroes of Tomorrow"**

 **And that is, going to continue eventually! Yeah maybe that wasn't very surprising... But once I get my life in order a bit better, and after a break to let more of the next manga arc play out, I'll be back with more :3**

 **I've already got some things in mind for future story points, I don't want to give away much but... Zodiac focused arc, Spitfire follow up, maybe even a love triangle!? One those may be under far harder story boarding than the other two lol**

 **But anyways, that won't be for... Idk, probably at least two months. Which sucks but hey I've gotta get this move over with and make sure life is all on proper track.**

 **As always, thank you all so much for reading, let me know what you thought about this arc or just this chapter, let me know what you're excited for or hoping to see!**

 **And I'll see you guys next time, take care of yourselves! :D**


	56. Dark Horizons, Evil's Resolve

**Welcome back everyone :D I hope you had Happy Holidays and a good new year!**

 **I'm very excited for what we've got coming up, so enough talking lets get right into it!**

* * *

After the events in Dokuga, during the weeks that followed a full scale investigation was launched into Forma-Gen.

Following evidence and confession from Dr. Rito and Daito, the systematic dissemination of the company began. Many of its leading scientists were taking into custody, while a number of illegal facilities were shut down.

Even their position on I-Island was opened up, all Quirk research they'd performed was turned over to others in the field. But their absence had left an open space, one that many other companies were fighting to fill.

Adachi and Ryou returned to normal classes, left with the knowledge they'd need to pursue another internship after getting back on track with school work and training. Of course after the brilliant showing they had on TV they weren't exactly going to have trouble finding a new place to work.

Though Dragonfly was taken into custody, Police didn't find any trace of Spitfire and Firefly. The two were low profile enough to drop off the grid, but DK had warned police of their plans to potentially join the League of Villains.

The interference from the Zodiac Gang and what the Zodiac herself had told Adachi came to light in a police interview with the lead detective on the League of Villains search. It seemed another gang conflict was brewing, but Zodiac hadn't made any major plays since Kamino Ward. Of course, stealing Failure was a frightening revelation that she was preparing for the upcoming war.

As for Failure...

When her eyes opened, Failure was laying on something soft. Her body felt better than it had in quite some time. She wasn't groggy, like when her drugs wore off. She wasn't in pain, or even sore like she had been when fighting. Her muscles felt loose, relaxed, it was a sensation she'd never felt before.

"Oh good you're awake~" Sounded an unfamiliar voice, instantly putting Failure on guard as the raggedy pale angel woman hovered nearby with a crooked smile, "Don't be afraid, I took all the pain away, you're perfectly healthy now~!" She explained in a rather bubbly tone, "And boy you sure had a lot, I was afraid I'd pass out!" She added with a giggle.

Failure didn't speak, nor did she lower her guard. But slowly the giant mutant sat up in her bed, looking around to take in her surroundings. She wasn't bound in any way, the room had a few beds with various... Far less sinister looking medical equipment than she was used too.

"I'm Angel by the way!" The apparent doctor of this medical ward greeted with a friendly yet somehow disturbing smile, "Welcome to our little band of misfits~!"

Failure narrowed her eyes slightly, digesting her words. After passing through the portal, Failure had arrived in Zodiac's base of operations hidden away in sub systems beneath Tokyo. She was assured by her new Master, that everything would be alright and she could rest. After that, Failure passed out from her injuries, exhaustion and blood loss, "Where is-"

"Our leader is waiting outside for you," Angel explained, "Go on, right through the door." She pointed, urging her to move.

Failure nodded slowly, still somewhat confused by this whole situation. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and rose to her full height. Looking her body over, she appeared to be in good health. And so, she made her way to the rather large door and pushed it open, stepping out into a world of noise.

They were within a massive concrete chamber where various tunnels connected, likely a hub within the large sewer network beneath Tokyo. Dozens of men and women were rushing back and forth, carrying supplies or papers. A number of tables around had computers on them, various equipment and clothing was hung up on racks or the walls. And in the center of it all was that woman, sitting in a veritable throne of her own making with Fenix by her side.

But as people began to notice Failure's presence, things began grinding to a halt. All eyes fell on her, and silence flooded the chamber. It was... Uncomfortable, unpleasant in a way that didn't physically hurt but... She didn't like it.

"Hrr..." Failure's hair began to bristle up, her eyes narrowing sharply. More than a few of the lower leveled thugs stepped back, while a few braver men gripped their weapons.

"Hahahaha!" Zodiac's laughter echoed throughout the chamber, breaking the tension in a split second, "Easy everyone, I doubt those toys would help you much, and we can't afford that kind of property damage." As her thugs began lowering their weapons, Failure's eyes met with her own, "Come forward, it is good to see you finally awake."

Failure obeyed out of curiosity and... Well, maybe it was just that commanding presence. But either way, the mutant creation knew she could trust Zodiac, like some kind of instinct, "How long?"

"About three days, I do hope Angel treated you well." Zodiac chuckled in amusement, but as Failure approached her throne Fenix stepped between them. The man was of considerable height, but Failure still had several feet on him.

Her eyes narrowed again, staring into his own red eyes. They were all that could be seen of his face, bandages covered the rest, "You are in the way." She grunted lowly.

"That is close enough," Fenix said in a deathly calm tone, "If that is a problem, make me move."

Failure's eyes widened suddenly, teeth baring in a feral snarl as she remembered that-

 _"I won't let you!"_

 _"You... In my way!"_

 _"Then make me move!"_

She remembered every detail of their battle, how they ganged up on her, hurt her. All four fists clenched, and she looked past Fenix straight to the boss, "Where are they? The ones who hurt me? I want to fight them again now!"

Fenix's hand landed on her chest, "You do not make demands, and I will not warn you again." His voice was cold, deep and full of malice. Just as Failure opened her mouth to speak, raising her arms to throw him aside, Fenix moved his hand up to her face and it suddenly ignited in blood red fire.

The mutant stumbled back, the bright lights were blinding but he had not actually turned his flames onto her. Even so, as she glared back at him, Fenix let the fires die down to nothing. The skin on his hand was now bleeding and badly burned, "I will take it from here, thank you." Zodiac said calmly, finally chiming in after observing their exchange.

And just like that, the intense malice and darkness in Fenix's eyes vanished before he looked back to his apparent master, "Of course, shall I remain here?"

"No, go see Angel and get that hand patched up," She ordered simply, waving him off, "I know you'll regenerate, but no use suffering any longer than you must."

Failure watched, more confused than ever as Fenix lowered his head to Zodiac, "Of course, whatever you think is best..." Before he turned, and walked past Failure without so much as a passing glance.

The smell of burnt flesh and blood remained in her nostrils for a brief moment, as she watched him walking off. Something about the way he carried himself, the look in his eyes. She had felt this sensation before, when fighting those heroes, "He is... Strong."

Zodiac smiled faintly at that, "Yes, the strongest." Though her voice was so quiet as she spoke it was almost impossible for Failure to hear, "But, now is the time to talk about you... Tell me, what do you wish to be called?"

Failure quirked an eyebrow, "Failure, my name is... Failure."

"Because it was beaten into your brain or because you have a twisted sense of irony?" Zodiac questioned curiously, the idea of picking Failure's brain to find out more about her was one she quite enjoyed.

"I can choose... Another name?" Failure asked, tilting her head.

"But of course," She chuckled in amusement, "Humans are given names at birth, but when they take on the role of a Hero or a Villain, they can get new names... You however, have a unique opportunity, you can be whoever you want to be, you can choose who you are from this day forward." Zodiac explained.

"I... Don't know... Don't know enough..." She admitted, feeling a strange sensation of... Embarrassment? Realizing how little she actually knew about well... Anything.

"And that is just fine," Zodiac assured, taking on that same calming tone as she had before. As if she could sense Failure's distress, "You will be taught, by me, just as I promised."

Failure nodded her head slowly, "Where do we start?"

"We'll begin with education, I'll run you through our little operation here and what we're hoping to accomplish as well as introduce you to the members of the team you'll be working with." She explained simply, "Then we'll move on to combat training, to hone your skills and better train your Quirk."

"Team?" Failure questioned, quirking an eyebrow, "I have to fight... With others?"

"That is correct," Zodiac smirked, "You do remember why you lost right? Because it was quite literally just you against the world," She had to stifle a chuckle at Failure's rather angered expression from the reminder, "Now, imagine if you had others there, evening the odds? You'd have won hands down correct?"

"Maybe..." She was hesitant to admit it.

Zodiac slowly rose from her seat, "No single person can survive alone, this is something I learned... Not even I could do everything I wanted if I had no one behind me," She began to walk past her, not at all intimidated by the height difference between them, "Now, lets get to the history lesson shall we?"

And with that the tour began, Zodiac lead Failure around the base explaining how she ended up here and what she thought of the worlds current state.

Life was too easy, and people were too weak. She had respected All Might's power, but hated what he did to the world. So she was going to make the world stronger, she was going to force the world to change the way she wanted it to. Though those grand ideals didn't matter much to Failure. She was interested in fighting, and becoming stronger. To do that, she would follow, and didn't see much reasoning behind learning about these ideals.

Though she was notably talking around exactly what she was planning, what all this work was going towards. In the long run though, it wasn't really something Failure cared about. So long as she could fight, and feel that rush through her system again, she was happy.

"Yo? JESUS!" Failure was staring down at a man, one she recognized from the group that stole her away from the heroes. Zodiac had lead her right to his door, "Uh, a little warning next time boss?"

Zodiac released an amused chuckle, "Apologies Vector, but I couldn't resist getting that reaction out of you." She explained, before patting Failure on the stomach, "I'm giving our newbie a tour, and of course that means introducing her to all the major players."

Vector read that look on her face and knew exactly what she wanted, "Alright alright... Come on in." He said looking up at Failure.

She quirked an eyebrow, looking at Zodiac and waiting for her to lead the way. Before the leading villain rolled her eyes, "Just get in there, I've heard this story already!" She ordered, pushing Failure lightly.

"Hrrnn..." She grumbled, already feeling uncomfortable as she stepped forward into Vector's room, ducking beneath the archway. He was different than any other human she'd seen, with pale skin almost like her own, red eyes and white hair. His room was filled with random movie posters, a computer on a desk and a lot of papers. A dresser and bed rested nearby against the wall.

Vector closed the door, sighing heavily before he moved over to a seat, "Alright, so where should I start... I don't really know everything she's told you so-"

"What is this?" Failure questioned, looking at him confused, "What am I doing here in this room? Why is She not in here as well?"

"You need to relax," Vector said, leaning back in his seat to reach a nearby cooler. He pulled out a couple colorful cans, "Here." Before throwing one too Failure.

Of course, she instantly perceived it as an attack, catching the can she snarled and raised her fists, "So we're fighting now? GOOD!" Without hesitation she threw a punch at him, but both her arms bounced back before making contact with him, shocking Failure as she hit some kind of invisible wall.

"Its a drink you crazy bitch," Vector scoffed, not seeming too upset about her attacking him, "Just open the damn can." He added, popping the top of his own with a hiss, and bringing it to his lips for a drink.

Failure quirked an eyebrow, tilting her head confused, "Drink?" She repeated, mimicking his motions. But when she pulled the tab on top of the can she only succeeded in ripping off the entire top. She sniffed the bubbly liquid within, before taking a sip.

Vector had to stifle a laugh as her face lit up with surprise, "You like it huh? Its just juice, pretty much flavored sugar water... But its probably a lot better than that shit you were fed in the lab so, whatever."

Failure barely registered what he was saying, as she downed the entire can in a few gulps, "More." She grunted, licking her lips for any residual taste left behind.

"No." Vector said simply with a shrug, "These are mine, go get your own." He flashed a big shit eating grin at her.

Strangely though, Failure wasn't angry. Instead she pouted, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him, "Hrnn... Fine... Now why am I here?"

"To learn, we're going to be working together after all so you need to understand the ins and outs of our big hitters." He explained, getting right to it, "My name is Benjamin Davis, but everyone around here calls me Vector... My quirk allows me to redirect things that get close enough to my body, that's why your punch bounced away before." Vector stated, figuring she was confused by that, "I joined up after coming to Japan and running into Fenix, big mummy looking mother fucker... I didn't meet the Zodiac until she was out of prison."

"She was imprisoned?" Failure questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, up until a few months ago she was locked away the same way you were." He explained, smirking lightly, "I wasn't too sure about this whole gang until I met her, the Zodiac is scary, powerful, and out of her fucking mind in the best possible way."

"If you're scared of her, then why are you still here?" Failure questioned.

"She may be scary, but she takes care of us." He answered, "So long as you follow orders and do what she says, she will put her ass on the line for you, I've personally seen her give up on missions to make sure her inner circle gets out." Remembering the incident with Ryukyu.

Failure digested that information, "Hmm..."

"Anyways, my story isn't very interesting," He shrugged, "I'm kinda just here, I've got nothing else going on, I'm not fucked up in the head like Angel or Fenix, so go talk to them." Vector added, getting up and moving to the door to let her out, "And try not to overthink things..."

Failure nodded slowly, doing her best to adjust to this interaction. She had to learn, she had to keep growing, that's how she would get stronger...

 **. . .**

"So you're going to sit in on this one?" Failure questioned, quirking an eyebrow as Zodiac stepped into the infirmary alongside her.

"Angel is a bit... Unique," She chuckled in amusement, "There are things she can't explain very well on her own, so I'm here to keep things from getting out of hand."

"What do you mean by unique?" Failure replied, narrowing her eyes.

"You've felt physical pain before yes?" Zodiac asked, but didn't wait for an answer, "You've felt your body break... Now imagine your mind going through that as well."

"Hi Boss!" Angel chimed in as she entered the room from another door in the back. As per usual, she was hovering above the floor a few inches with her still, tattered angel wings behind her. But even with her messy, exhausted look, she had a beaming smile on her face, "Is it time for introductions?"

"That's right Angel," She nodded with a friendly smile, "This is Failure, go ahead and introduce yourself."

"My name is Tenshi Hiru," Angel replied, floating up a little higher to be eye level with Failure, "But you can call me Angel, because I look like an Angel! I have a quirk they called Angel's Light." She explained with excitement, "I can heal a person, without any drawbacks to their stamina like other healing Quirks... But doing so also pulls whatever pain their injuries caused into me." She shivered with excitement, "I store the pain inside my body, and can give it back~"

Failure blinked, more confused than ever, "I don't... Understand, you give people back injuries?"

Zodiac smirked faintly, "A demonstration, something minor."

"Right right okay... Something small," She nodded eagerly, reaching out to her, "A stubbed toe!" She tapped Failure on the wrist, and suddenly the mutant winced feeling a sharp pain in her foot.

But looking down, she could see there was nothing wrong with it, yet a dull throbbing persisted, "That's... Strange."

"It only lasts for a few minutes when I send it into someone else," Angel added, "Kinda just shocks the system, assaults the senses, can send someone into shock or cause a heart attack if I use too much, its really great!"

As her laugh echoed in the room, Failure wasn't so sure how she felt about this. Why was she so... Happy? Did she like fighting and hurting people too? "An interesting way to fight..."

"Angel is our medic," Zodiac chimed in, "She can stun enemies, but her primary part of the team is to keep us in the fight... That will be all Angel, go on." She ordered.

Angel nodded, "Yes ma'am!" Before heading off to her own room again.

As the door closed, Zodiac looked back to Failure, "Angel had dreams of becoming a Healer like other famous Pro Healing Heroes, but her mind couldn't handle the pain her body went through when she healed others." She explained grimly, "She became an insane masochist, they threw her in a psyche ward, and I broke her out after hearing about her in the news."

"Masochist? What does that mean?" Failure questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"Someone who loves being hurt physically," Zodiac explained, "She loves pain, in any form, she craves... She is in so much pain she doesn't eat much, she doesn't sleep much, from all the pain she has stored in her body... Its a wonder she hasn't just gone numb yet."

Well that certainly explained her appearance, "Hmm... She is strong." If for no other reason than her twisted willpower.

"I only allow the strongest in my inner circle."

 **. . .**

Their final destination for the day was perhaps a bit more... Antagonistic, at least on Failure's side.

As she now stood face to face with Fenix, glaring into his eyes. The man showed no sign of backing down either, yet didn't seem to carry the same contempt that her own eyes did. Fenix's eyes seemed more dull and bored, as if he couldn't care less about monster standing in front of him. And something about that just pissed Failure off even more...

"Fenix," Zodiac finally spoke up after leaving them in silence for a few moments, "Introductions, please."

"Of course," He answered obediently, "You know my name is Fenix, I serve the Zodiac, and act as second in command." He explained calmly, "I burn things, that is my Quirk... I joined the Zodiac after trying to kill her, and failing."

Failure quirked an eyebrow at that, "You are... Quite loyal, for a former enemy."

"She allowed me to bind an aimless existence to something better," He answered, eyes flashing briefly, "For that, I owe her my life... And let me be perfectly clear, Failure," Fenix continued, taking a sharper tone, "She will suffer no disrespect from you, behave yourself and do whatever she says or I will dispose of you."

Failure bared her fangs at him, smirking wickedly, "Is that a challenge?"

"A warning," He answered without skipping a beat, "You cannot beat me, because I cannot die until she wills it."

Failure's eyes searched his own, seeing a familiar glint that she was growing to hate. That defiance, the lack of fear, the fire. "Hmph, well... We are going to be allies so... I will," She hated every word, "Try to remember that."

Fenix nodded slowly, looking to Zodiac after a moment, "Is that all?"

She nodded in return, "That's good, I'm going to take her to the training area now."

He bowed his head slightly, "I will remain here if you need me."

As they made their departure, Failure was left with some conflicting thoughts. She didn't like the idea of relying on others but... These people were intriguing, as she learned more about the world around her and others that she shared it with she found herself getting more curious. Even if she didn't like it, she wanted to see where this was going...

And she needed to become stronger.

"After training... When do I fight?"

"When its time for my second debut, you'll have the blood you want..."

 **. . .**

"And that's about it, hook us up with a location, cash and supplies and we can turn out whatever gear you need." Former Hero Spitfire explained as he and his sidekick Firefly stood in the center of the warehouse they'd been told to meet the broker in.

Across from them stood a man in a purple suit, and beside him was a familiar patchwork face from the news, "Well, what do you think Dabi?"

His eyes flashed briefly, before narrowing at Spitfire and his sidekick, "I think you two are scum, exactly the kind of wanna be heroes I hate the most." He held up one hand slowly, "You're lucky I don't turn you into kindling right now."

Spitfire swallowed dryly, "Hey now, no need to throw around such harsh words, I'm offering you a valuable service here."

"Maybe we should just get out of here." Firefly muttered, taking a step back, "I don't like this."

"Babe, relax," He shot her a harsh look, knowing they didn't have many options as far as avoiding the law went at this point. The days since Dokuga had been nothing short of a fight for survival. Sleeping in shitty motels and keeping their heads down, they'd even lost most of their money when their accounts were frozen by the feds. "Well, even if the League won't accept us..." His eyes drifted back to Giran, "Surely you could use a couple more hands at making black market gear right?"

Giran took a deep breath and sighed, "I might have work for you... But it's high risk, outside of the League... But maybe, if you can pull it off you might impress Shigaraki."

Dabi lowered his hand, looking back at Giran, "You really want to put them on the island job?"

Giran shrugged, "Sure why not? That's where all the other rejects are trying out right?" He questioned with a small smirk, "If they pull it off we get some capable new members and some new tech, and if they fail we lose nothing."

"We're in." Spitfire answered quickly, not wanting to let any chance slip by, "If this is going to be our official interview, I promise we'll impress."

Giran nodded, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, "Good, come with me and I'll give you the rundown."

In many forms, evil was starting to move again.

There would be little time for heroes to rest, with various dark plots unfolding on the horizon.

What intensive training is our Hero going through to prepare for this!?

Find out... NEXT TIME!


	57. The Next Step, Repressed Quirk

**Thanks guys, glad to be back X3**

 **And I'm very excited for whats to come next...**

* * *

The days since Dokuga went by quickly, as Adachi returned to normal classes. And before he knew it, September came to a close and October began with a notable drop in temperature. While most students simply went back to their full uniform to deal with the chill, poor Adachi needed to add a heavy red scarf to the mix just to keep himself warm. Otherwise just sitting in class in the colder weather was just making him drowsy and lethargic.

This was a weakness he had to overcome, that was for sure...

"I guess Mt. Lady and Edgeshot are forming a team," Adachi overheard Kaminari talking to Mineta as they made their way to the locker rooms, "Kamui Woods is there too!"

"Mt. Lady you say~?" Mineta repeated.

"There have been a lot of team ups recently, likely to better handle the rise in criminal activity." Midoriya chimed in as well.

"Guys once we graduate we should make a team!" Ashido beamed, looking to those around her, "Uraraka you can make me float so I can rain acid from above!"

"That sounds a little dangerous." Her friend answered with a nervous laugh.

"And Adachi! You can give me a boost with that tail of yours like you did with DK!" She added with a grin.

Adachi sweatdropped, remembering when he turned DK into a living missile, "That might not be a good idea..."

"And then Shouji, Jirou and Koda can be reconnaissance!" It seemed like she wasn't even listening, "We'll be team Rainy Day!"

"Okay I'm going to stop listening and go change now." Adachi rolled his eyes, heading into the locker room with his costume case in hand, _"What has gotten into her lately? She just seems like she's raring to go fight some villains."_

Soon there was back in the TDL, with Cementoss guiding them for today. Adachi was happy about that, after fighting Failure he was eager to work on pushing his boundaries further.

"Today, we'll be focusing on improving your Super Moves." The cement Hero explained, earning a cheer of excitement from the class, "Previously you were all charged with a 2 move minimum, those that haven't reached that yet will focus on development while those that have, will focus on further improvements."

As he created the training area, Adachi looked at his hands, wondering just how he could improve himself now, "Hmm... I suppose working on my fighting style in Croc or Skink form could be good? Or, working on my movement in Kaiju form?" Both areas could probably use some work _,_ that was for sure.

"UNBREAKABLE!" Adachi nearly jumped as Kirishima hardened his body to the maximum beside him, transforming into a jagged monster, "Aaagh! Alright I'm fired up! I've gotta get tougher so I can take on stronger villains!" He turned towards some of the other boys, "Bakugou! Satou! Midoriya! Please use me as a punching bag!"

 _"He's pretty fired up too,"_ Adachi noted, smiling faintly as he watched them bickering over not wanting to hurt Kirishima, _"I need to get back into it, just gotta quit over thinking things and attack my training head on!"_

Shifting rapidly, Adachi started transforming into his Kaiju form. Growing larger and forcing some of the nearby students to clear the way, **"HRAAAH!"** Sounding his finish, he looked around for a suitable space, **"I'm going to work on extending how long I can use my heat ray, don't get too close."** He growled out, hopefully loud enough for everyone to hear, before running off to the far end of the large room.

Once he found a good enough spot, Adachi let his body start to light up along his back. Inhaling deeply before he started unleashing the super heated flame, trying to let it fire off for longer than usual. Though after more than a few seconds he could feel the heat inside his body starting to burn painfully, he needed to learn to endure that or adjust to it. That would turn his already deadly attack into a real super move...

 **. . .**

"Guys look!" It was only a day later, and the class was still as lively as ever despite the temperature change, "Check THIS out!"

Adachi sighed and rolled his eyes, as Mina took one careful step before roll-flipping into a crazy break dancing motion on the ground. Drawing the eyes of many other students, "So dancing is her hobby?" Aoyama questioned with surprise.

Adachi nodded, "Yeah she likes dancing, not that she gets many chances too."

"And who's fault is that!?" Ashido startled Adachi by barking at him mid spin.

Meanwhile Midoriya was taking a few notes, "It looks like regular breakdancing, but she's put her body in a state that requires so many different muscles to move... If she's been maintaining this kind of hobby even alongside our hero training its no wonder she's in such great shape!"

"I wouldn't mind learning to move like that." Aoyama added pointedly.

"Me either, think you could teach us?" Midoriya nodded with a smile.

Mina was instantly back up on her feet, an intense look on her face as she brought her arms together in a gangster style, "Alright boys lets dance!"

And just like that Ashido, Aoyama and Midoriya were all dancing outside the classroom. Adachi shook his head and sighed, "You guys are nuts... I'm gonna go sit and wait for-"

"Adachi." The boy blinked, turning around to see the emaciated form of All Might standing there, "Principal Nezu wants to see you, you've got a visitor."

"Oh? Alright, is it okay that I'll be late for class?" He asked, fearing the wrath of Aizawa.

"The Principal can write you a note, lets go."

 **. . .**

It was quite the change of pace from that dress Adachi had seen her in months ago, but even in a suit dress that long raven black hair was enough for him to recognize her as he stepped into the office.

"Nagato!" A grin of both joy and surprise spread across his face, "You're the visitor?" He added, looking at All Might who nodded simply.

"That's right," She answered, rising from her seat, "Its been quite a while, and you've changed a lot more but I was keeping track of that."

Adachi blinked, "Keeping... Track of that?"

Earning a small chuckle from Principle Nezu, "Yes it appears Ms. Kibari here has quite a vested interest in you, strange as that may be, I urge you to hear her out."

After what they went through at Ryukyu's Agency its not like Adachi was gonna tell her to go jump off a bridge after coming all this way, "Yeah of course," He nodded, looking between Nagato and the Principle, "I'm just confused."

"Please have a seat and I'll explain," Nagato nodded with a bow of respect, "You as well All Might, if you wish to join in."

"No thank you, I've got some business to attend to," He answered, waving her off, "But I appreciate the invite, I'll hear the details from Nezu afterwards I'm sure."

With that he showed himself out, leaving the three of them alone as Adachi took his seat at the table, "Alright so spill it." He ordered, leaning forward as Nagato began opening a briefcase and flipping through papers.

"Well after what happened those months ago, specifically what happened to you," Nagato began, pulling up what looked like medical records, "I was curious about your Quirk, so after my company was cleaned up and the right people thrown in jail, I found my way into some of your medical records through UA."

"Not without us hearing her reasoning mind you." Nezu chimed in with a smile, "We would never give away something so sensitive without assurance that it would only benefit you."

"Right, of course." Nagato nodded before returning attention to Adachi, "Your Quirk, Kaiju, is incredibly interesting from a medical stand point, and from a research stand point... You remember what happened to your body after you overworked it so severely thanks to that drug right?"

"Yeah, I also remember not being asked if I was okay with that." Adachi pointed out with a smirk, remembering how she'd just stabbed him with the needle. Though upon Nagato's rather remorseful expression he chuckled, "Relax, I'm just joking, please continue."

"Yes well, anyways." She cleared her throat nervously, "As I'm sure you've already come to assume, your Power Cells are quite mutagenic when it comes to your Quirk Factor, and react oddly to stimulation or being activated." Nagato explained as she looked over a few papers, "You turn into a giant monster, that is your quirk plain and simple, along with whatever powers that adds... However," She pointed to his body, "This, and whatever forms you have in between now and THAT form, are stabilizers."

Adachi tilted his head confused, "Stabilizers?"

"Adachi have you noticed that when you transform safely you do so by going through your forms in order?" Nezu questioned calmly, "And when you rush the transformation, you tear muscles and drain your stamina?"

He nodded slowly, "I thought that was just a drawback of rushing my Quirk or overworking it."

"So did I when I began testing your cells," Nagato continued, excitement filling her voice, "In the aftermath of what happened during your internship with Ryukyu, your power cells were shriveled up and weak, after being stimulated with enough nutrients they grew stronger again, and when compared to more recent cells we noticed yours strengthen in a similar way but create immense strain on your body when growing, in a way that shouldn't be happening, your body isn't reacting naturally to your own Quirk in the right way."

"Okay okay can we put this in terms I might actually understand?!" Adachi asked, rubbing his head trying to process this. He wasn't exactly a super genius, so all this talk of cells and nutrients and stimulation was a lot to take in.

"Your body is not strong enough to handle your Quirk," She put into the most simple terms possible, "Which is why when you were put under extreme stress you burned out before, and with the way your growing I'm not sure you'll ever find equilibrium and reach full growth... Somewhere along the way, your Quirk stopped naturally developing and came out of balance."

Adachi rested back into his chair, "I... I think I know how it happened." Digesting that information, it was an easy conclusion. He'd spent several years actively repressing aspects of his Quirk before coming to UA, if it really needed to be stimulated to stay in balance then... He'd done this to himself. "So I won't... Ever reach my maximum potential?" He asked, worry filling his voice.

"Not through our training methods anyways." Nezu chimed in once again, sipping his tea, "You didn't think Ms. Kibari came all the way here just to give you bad news did you?" Followed by an amused chuckle, as if he'd enjoyed seeing Adachi squirm a bit, "Evidently, this transformation you went through during the training camp attack was a step in the right direction."

"Kaiji Adachi," Nagato rose from her seat, facing him with a determined look, "You saved not only my life, but my fathers company, helped me protect his good name and punish the bastards that ordered his murder... Its not ready yet, but I am working on a way to stimulate your cells without straining the body, we might be able to artificially bring you into balance!"

Adachi's eyes lit up as he looked at her, "You really think that's possible?"

"Its not only possible, its your future!" She continued with passion, "In just over a month if all things go as planned, there are things coming up that I'm still trying to get in order... But I promise, I'm going to pay you back for everything you did for me Adachi, because you were MY hero." She explained, even though her cheeks flushed a bit, she didn't hold back a big grin.

"Just over a month?" Nezu blinked, "Well how fortunate, that gives you time to enjoy the upcoming Cultural Festival at the end of this month!"

Adachi blinked, "Cultural Festival?"

"Oh dear, you had best get back to class... It seems we may have interrupted something important." Nezu realized, quickly reaching for a paper and pen, "Here, give this note to Mr. Aizawa, and do have a nice day." He added with a smile as he handed the note to him.

"R-Right," Adachi nodded, taking the paper and rising from his seat, "Thanks, and thank you Nagato, I'm sure you'll pull it off."

"I know I will, now get going Hero." She chuckled, waving him off as Adachi left to return to his class.

As the door closed and he walked off, Nezu looked back to Nagato who was putting away her documents, "You didn't mention his father?"

Nagato paused briefly, before shaking her head, "No, not yet... Not until I'm absolutely sure it'll work."


	58. The Cultural Festival

**weslyschraepen: But of course! WHEN HAS SCIENCE HAS EVER FAILED!?**

 **Anyways, have some fluff before the real arc kicks off lol I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, but once this is over we'll finally get back into another big arc :3**

* * *

The Cultural Festival.

Contrary to how the Sports Festival really only existed to show off promising young Heroes, this event wasn't focused on them at all. Every class had to pick something to do, some kind of event to host that other students or visitors could participate in for fun. Some classes were running games, others were performing plays and some were even running cafe's!

It took a lot of debate and discussion, but Class 1-A decided to make it a performance. It wasn't just to show off, it was about helping everyone stressed out by the current events unwind and have some fun. So over the course of the month, they worked hard even outside of class to set up the perfect show. The class was divided up into a number of groups that would all work on different aspects of the performance.

Jirou was leading the band, made up of Bakugou, Yaoyorozu, Kaminari and Tokoyami. While Kirishima, Koda, Todoroki, Aoyama and Sero worked on stage crew up. Everyone else, including Adachi, were on the dance team. Midoriya was part of it for awhile, but the stage crew needed an extra pair of hands so they made a last minute change to send him over.

By the end of October, everything was in place and on that fateful day...

Adachi stood in line behind the curtain, he could hear the voices outside. So many people had shown up to see them perform. Not just friends and family, but upper class students. Ones who weren't here to enjoy the show, they were here to judge them.

Adachi swallowed nervously, "If I trip on my tail just kill me before the embarrassment does."

Uraraka laughed lightly beside him, placing a hand over her mouth, "You'll be fine, don't sweat it... Though you do look kinda goofy in that suit." She pointed out, lightly teasing.

"Ugh I know," Adachi sighed, "Blue scales don't exactly go with everything..."

"Positions everyone!" Ashido, the team leader ordered, "We're starting!"

Adachi took a deep breath, going through the motions and routine in his head. He knew what he had to do, he just needed to make sure he didn't screw it up. He wanted this to work, for everyone's sake. This performance wasn't about Class 1-A, it was about everyone at UA that were stressed out or anxious about the things that had happened recently. There was just so much pressure, why couldn't he just be fighting villains? That was so easy compared to... This!

"Hey," He was shaken from his thoughts as Ashido tapped him on the shoulder while passing by, "Save me a dance will ya?"

Adachi felt his cheeks heat up instantly, but nodded, "Yeah, definitely." Steeling his resolve, _"Well now I can't screw up, thanks Mina."_

When the curtains rose, the show began, music played and everyone did their part. The performance they all put their hearts into for the sake of everyone suffering from stress and anxiety during these trying times. And Jirou, she sang her heart out, she was the star of the show and no doubt left a mark on everyone in attendance.

For the most part, Adachi did nothing more than dance. Initially some ideas were floated about him using his flames or transformation to up the performance. But in the end everyone agreed blazing fire and a giant monster might just add to stress or take away from the bands performance.

Even after the month of planning, the entire thing was over in about twenty or thirty minutes. Everyone had their fun and when things finally came to a close there was resounding applause of approval from everyone. Even the upperclassmen that had come to judge them harshly. All around, the event was a success, and with such an early performance, everyone would have time to go enjoy the other festivities of the festival!

"Well that was good work," Aizawa said as most of the guests were filing out, "Now clean this up, before you leave."

"What?!" Kaminari exclaimed, "But, what about the festival! I wanted to see Class 1-B's play!"

"Me too!" Adachi added, remembering their ridiculous poster for it.

Aizawa smirked faintly, obviously enjoying this, "Then you'd better work fast."

 **. . .**

The smouldering battlefield was filled with bodies, various fallen warriors, undead monsters and wounded heroes. It was the climax of a long and bloody conflict, as only the great hero and his arch foe stood remaining.

His cape billowing in the wind behind him, the Hero stepped forward wielding the blade he'd pulled from the stone, "My name is Romeo..." He was panting for breath, wounded and exhausted. But he couldn't surrender yet, he had to save her. They were so close, all that stood between him and his love was this vile man, "Hear me, Count of Dracul, Ghost of Azkaban..." He raised his blade, pointing at the tall cloaked figure before him, "Return Juliet to me at once!"

An iron mask covered the face of his enemy, but his eyes glowed blue beneath it, shining through. A hood covering the great evils head and a cloak around his body, "Far you have traveled, young Romeo," A deep distorted voice, one that sounded positively evil, "It seems you would go to the ends of the earth for this woman, but at what cost?" The Count of Dracul questioned, spreading his arms wide, "The blood you have shed, the friends you have lost, even if you defeat me and save her... Would she ever accept the man you have become now? The killer!?"

"Don't listen to him Romeo!" Her voice rang from the tower, as Juliet cried out over the battlefield, "I still love you! You must defeat him! Cast this evil man back to the abyss!"

"Silence yourself wench!" The Count commanded, turning his head ever so slightly and taking his eyes off the Hero and his remaining allies for a moment, "You will know your place!"

"Don't you dare speak to the Princess like that!"

A hidden figure moved from among the fallen, one that had been waiting for the right chance when the Count's guard was lowered. Romeo's eyes lit up, watching as the steel skinned hero burst into action charging the greatest evil, "Sir Lancelot you live!"

"Haaaah! I vowed to never die until you were certain to never plague this land any longer!" He cried, leaping into the air with a blade held high, "I will cut you down! FOR MY LORDS KINGDOM!"

"Foolish!" A burst of power was unleashed from their enemy, his cloak billowing as a gust of wind erupted throughout the area. Raising one hand, an explosive wave of force was unleashed. The steel skinned knight was no match for such power, and was blown away. Slamming into a nearby wall, dropping his blade and crumpling to the ground.

"Lancelot!" Romeo cried out in dismay, "You won't get away with this!"

A deep, menacing chuckle emanated from the cloaked figure, "Your lords kingdom... You fool, do you even know who it is you serve?" He questioned, a small breeze picking up as his power swelled, "Sent by a dying king, your father... Is that right Romeo?" A twisted amusement filled his voice, "Yes yes, your Father, the king... That is what Obi-Wan told you, that you were the heir to the throne of Gondor, but that was all a lie."

Gasps and stunned silence filled the battlefield, as Romeo looked on in shock, "What... What are you talking about?!"

"The truth is Romeo, I did not mortally wound your father," He took a deep breath, bracing for the best possibly delivering of this important line, "I _**AM**_ your father!"

"No... No that's..." His hands trembled, threatening to drop the heroes blade, the only thing that could purge such evil as the Count, "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" He couldn't believe it, he wouldn't believe it! This had to be a trick! Steeling his resolve, Romeo charged with reckless abandon, aiming his blade to pierce the Count's heart!

"How pathetic."

"AGH!" His hand to hand skills were paramount, as he delivered a savage blow to Romeo's stomach, forcing him to his knees before the Count of Dracul kicked the blade away.

"Like a child throwing a tantrum, but in your deepest heart you know it to be true." He said, standing over Romeo before delivering a brutal kick to his side. Earning another cry of pain, as Romeo was knocked over onto his back.

He tried to speak, but the wind had been knocked out of him. Nothing but a pained gasp escaped his lips, fear showing clear on his face.

"Look at you, you're nothing without the Heroes Blade," He chuckled wickedly, "The blade that was said to pierce the most wicked tyrant, and free the lands of Middle Earth from his dark power... The one you pulled from the stone that made you a Hero... And you've lost it now, as you lay wasted and gasping for air," Kneeling down, he picked up Romeo by the back of the head lifting him up off the ground, "But you don't get to go yet, no no no..." He turned Romeo away slowly to the horizon, as the sun began piercing through the dark clouds over the kingdom of Gondor, "When your home, and your kingdom is in ashes, and everyone you love has suffered in agony before death, then you have my permission to die."

Before unceremoniously throwing him forward onto the ground near a few fallen comrades. Romeo was panting heavily for breath, trying to think of something, anything. His eyes widened briefly spotting a flicker of light, a reflection off of something. The Hero grit his teeth, "Why don't you look me in the eye and say that, you monster..." He rasped out, narrowing his eyes sharply.

"Heheheh... As you wish," The Count skulked towards him. He grabbed Romeo by the hair, slowly pulling him up, "My face will be the last thing your pathetic eyes ever see before I pluck them from your- GAH!" He gasped in pain, as the heroes blade pierced him from behind, "Ngh! I-Impossible... Y-You aren't the Hero... He's the one who- the one who-" The staggered words were cut short into a cry of pain as Lancelot twisted the holy blade.

"Nowhere in the prophecy did it say," The steel skinned knight panted, "That only the Hero could wield this blade, we've beaten you..." He yanked the blade free, as the villainous Count of Dracul dropped Romeo and fell to his knees holding the wound.

"Ngh! N-No... This isn't... I wasn't supposed to-" A gust of wind burst from his body, before he threw back his head releasing a demented cry of pain and suffering. More bursts of energy rocked the battlefield, before the great evil collapsed.

And so the land was saved, Romeo rescued his Princess and the greatest evil was vanquished...

The curtains closed, a round of applause echoed throughout the auditorium. The students and adults in attendance showing their appreciation with a standing ovation for the hard work and decent acting. A moment later the curtain rose once more, earning more applause as the entirety of Class 1-B stood on stage bowing to the audience. Ryou had taken off that bulky iron mask that was changing her voice as she stood beside Tetsutetsu and Monoma, the other stars of the show.

"Great work Ryou," Tetsutetsu laughed, patting her on the back as people clapped and cheered, "Your evil villain monologue was great!"

"Could have loosened up on that grip a little, and maybe hit me a little softer" Monoma added, fixing his hair, "Either way I'm sure our performance totally trounced Class 1-A's little musical number."

Ryou rolled her eyes, "Oh just enjoy the moment and forget about them, will you!" Bopping him on the head, before her and most of the others were swept up in chatting with various members of the audience or teachers.

But the festival wasn't over just yet, there was still more fun to be had...

 **. . .**

"Alright alright we're out," Adachi chuckled in amusement, patting Ashido's back as she clung to him, "You can open your eyes now."

"Ugh that was so scary! Those Seniors are twisted!" She shook it off quickly, smile returning as she released him, "Alright what should we hit next?"

Adachi pulled open the small guide he had been given after they finished cleaning up their own performance, "Lets see... We could grab some food? It almost lunch time and there is a student cafe open in one of the General classrooms."

"Oooh that sounds good!" Ashido beamed, feeling the hunger setting in as well, "What's it called? Does it have a funny name?"

Adachi quirked an eyebrow, looking closely at the pamphlet, "Hmm... The Hi-jinx Cafe, maybe they have a gimmick?"

"It sounds fun lets go!"

Adachi rolled his eyes, letting her drag him along as she chattered excitedly. With everything that had been going on lately, he was glad Ashido was still able to smile just as bright as ever.

 _"Smiling..."_ He nearly stopped, his own smile fading slightly as he slipped deeper into thought. Things had been so turbulent, ever since the training camp, throughout what happened in Kamino Ward, and then Dokuga. It was miracle anybody could still smile nowadays, maybe that's what the Festival was about, reminding everyone that the world isn't ruined, not yet.

 _"Just something else to fight for right?"_

Adachi smiled softly as they neared the cafe, _"Yeah Griffin, something else to fight for, something else to protect."_

Her smile, no matter what he would protect that smile.

 **. . .**

"Satou?" Adachi and Ashido blurted as they stepped through the door and spotted their brawny classmate chatting it up with some of the girls tending the cafe.

And his face turned to that of a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar, "O-Oh hey guys! I-I uh, was just checking out the cafe!"

Yeah right.

"Swapping recipes tough guy?" Ashido teased, sliding up beside him and poking accusingly at his side.

"I hope that's okay," One of the girls giggled, "We promised to share our coffee cake recipe after he gave us those incredible pastries for the cafe!"

The big guys face turned beet red as Adachi snickered, "Relax Satou! Nobody is judging you," Patting him on the back with a big toothy grin, "That's right ladies for all your baking needs just contact the future pro hero Sugarman!"

As the girls started laughing, seeing how flustered Satou was, the big man waved his arms defensively, "I-I just wanted to help out! I know the general courses don't like us that much, and everyone's been stressed lately so I was just... Giving them a peace offering?" He explained, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "I wasn't expecting anything in return."

"Awwww~" Ashido swooned in a joking, exaggerated manner, "I think that's sweet."

One of the girls amusement faded as she crossed her arms, "Hey come on, we don't really hate you guys... But thanks, we appreciate you taking us into consideration, you guys are probably under a lot more stress than us though right? With all the attacks and more villains popping up every day..."

"And everyone has got their eyes on you," A nearby boy added as he approached the group, "You should be worrying about yourself, not us."

 _"Well that was a hell of a tone shift."_ Adachi thought, taking a more dignified stance as he laughed nervously, "Yeah well... That's kind of our job right? Or well, its going to be." He shrugged, "It sucks that All Might's gone, and it sucks that villains are getting more bold but... That just means we've gotta work harder, to protect everyone." Satou and Ashido nodded in agreement, the latter resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Well said," A familiar voice sounded from as another figure stepped out from the cooking area. His tired eyes and purple hair were unmistakable, "Long time no see, eh Adachi? You've gotta stop changing looks or I'll never recognize you."

"Shinso!" The lizard boy grinned, turning full attention to him, "Been awhile yeah, didn't know this was your class." He chuckled, looking past him as Ashido and Satou kept chatting with the other students, "Yeah I'm kinda working on the whole body thing, might have one more big change in me according to..." How exactly was he supposed to explain Nagato in a timely manner? "My doctor, you stuck on kitchen duty?"

"Huh, must be one insightful doctor to figure that out." Shinso wasn't stupid, there was probably more to it but he wasn't really interested, "As for the event, I'm not exactly what most would call a people person... So yeah, I helped out in the back while everyone else gave the flashy smiles."

"Yeah honestly you remind me a lot Mr. Aizawa," Adachi chuckled at the thought, "You just need a scarf to choke out loud students with."

"Heh, if only."

 _"What was..."_ Adachi quirked an eyebrow, something about Shinso's face, "Well anyways, I think we're gonna get going, I know Ashido wants to check out a few other classes."

"Right right, and I've got to wash dishes," He shrugged, "See you around."

Adachi watched him walking away, his eyes narrowing slowly, _"Maybe I'm just seeing things but... Did I see just a ghost of a smirk on his face when he said that?"_ He couldn't be sure, but Shinso was clearly hiding something. He was looking a lot more rugged too, as if he'd bulked up recently.

As the purple haired student slipped away into the back he smirked in amusement, _"Yeah don't worry Adachi, I'll catch up to you... Maybe sooner than you think, but that's still a long ways away..."_

 **. . .**

"And you're sure these are the targets?"

"Yes, their location and popularity makes them perfect candidates... And this one, he interests me."

"Eldritch... Nothing remarkable about him, not on record anyways."

"Exactly," A smirk crossed the Zodiac's lips, "I'm sending our infiltrator to dig up some dirt, we will wait and see what she finds."

"Hasn't she already been given another assignment?"

"Yes, but this won't take long... She found out the League's location through the police after the training camp in a fraction of that time."

"A vital tool indeed..."


	59. Special Trip, Invitation to I-Island!

**Hello my wonderful readers! Today we officially kick off a new arc! I'm very excited for the things coming in this one, we've got 10 Chapters of ridiculousness coming your way!**

 **Along with something new I wanted to try, mostly just for flavor.**

 **I usually listen to music while writing, sometimes it really helps me set the tone for the chapters I'm working on. So I decided, hey you know what? I'm gonna pick a theme song for every Arc.**

 **Whether or not I retroactively go back and do it for the older arcs is still kind of up in the air. But for now, I'll just leave you with this one.**

 **This arcs theme will be: Accentier by Eir Aoi! You can find it easily enough on youtube.**

 **Anyways, this is a long chapter as is so I'll stop wasting your time!**

* * *

October turned to November fast, and the temperature drop had Adachi bundled up even more. He'd even had to take the time to add more to his costume to help with the cold. A bit of creative work from Hastume added some thermal patches that stuck to his skin. Placed on the sides of his neck, the center of his chest and one on each side of his ribs. The idea was to store up heat he generated when breathing fire, because using that power always heated up his body. So with these patches he'd have a good source of warmth to keep him going, hopefully.

"Adachi," He stopped walking down the hall towards class, turning to face Mr. Aizawa, "You've got a visitor in the office, same one as before it would seem."

"Oh, you mean Nagato?" He blinked, remembering what they'd talked about before and grinning, "Alright I'll head there right away!"

"Keep it brief." Aizawa ordered as he walked past him.

"Yes sir!"

Adachi took his advice and didn't waste any time, heading for the office as fast as he could without running. Inside he was daring to hope that she'd figured out a method of fixing his Quirk. Stepping through the doors he spotted All Might, Principal Nezu and Nagato in the lobby.

 _"No need for privacy this time I suppose?"_ He wondered, approaching with a smile, "Nagato, its good to see you again."

"Adachi," She returned the friendly smile, "I'm glad you came, I heard classes were starting so I was afraid I'd have to wait," She laughed nervously, "I'll keep this brief, I want to bring you as a special guest to the Expo happening on I-Island." She explained casually.

Adachi blinked, eyes widening slowly as he registered what she said, "Wait... What!? I-Island!? You want me to... But, why!?" He exclaimed trying to process the whole thing.

All Might chuckled lightly in amusement, patting him on the back, "Try not to sound ungrateful eh? This is a rare opportunity."

"I-I mean... Yeah but," Adachi nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "This is just so confusing."

"Perhaps not so much once you get the details." Nezu added, sipping his tea, "Please continue, Ms. Kibari."

Nagato nodded, "You see ever since you helped DK shut down Forma Gen, a spot has opened up for a new research group on I-Island," She explained, "A lot of companies have been clamoring for the spot, so this Expo is to try and earn the investors favor."

"So, you're going to give some kind of presentation and hope to get picked?" Adachi surmised pretty easily, "I guess that makes sense, but why invite me?"

She crossed her arms, "Gee I don't know, why _would_ I want to invite the hero that saved my life, my company, helped avenge my fathers murder, AND helped expose the corrupt organization that has left me this open spot?"

Adachi rolled his eyes, "Alright alright, point taken."

Earning a chuckle from Nagato, "But the debt aside, I think I've developed a way to stabilize your Quirk," She added, placing a hand on her hip, "However, I'd feel much safer trying it somewhere with more advanced medical equipment."

"Wow really? Already? That's amazing." Adachi grinned, having expected this to take quite some time. A part of him evening accepting that it might never happen.

"Well I said One Month," She laughed nervously, "And even then I'm a few days late, I wanted to be absolutely sure this would work the way we want it to before testing it out." Nagato explained, "And I won't lie to you, there are still risks, but even if you don't want to proceed with the operation I still want you to come to I-Island," Her smile softened slightly, "I figure you might need a vacation."

"What makes you say that?" Adachi questioned.

"Just after everything that's been going on," Nagato shrugged, "I think you've earned one, as have... Pretty much everyone from your class but, well I can't bring anymore guests."

Adachi laughed lightly, "Right well I appreciate the thought, so when is this Expo?"

"This weekend!" She answered with a big grin.

Making Adachi nearly fall over, "THIS WEEKEND!? You couldn't have sent me the invite a little sooner!?"

She laughed in amusement at his outburst, "Sorry! Didn't know I'd be going either until a week ago when they responded to my application!" She assured, "Anyways, I've taken up enough of your time, if the school is okay with it we leave Friday night," She explained, "We'll arrive on the island pretty early in the morning, but the Expo will be Saturday night, then you can be home by Sunday night, no big deal!"

"That sounds-"

"OH! I almost forgot!" Nagato cut him off, "You are my guest, but you can bring two people of your choosing to the Expo as well." She explained with a smile, "So choose wisely."

"Uh..." Adachi blinked, "Right, yeah." He nodded, _"I mean the choices are obvious but everyone else will probably be mad at us for taking a vacation."_ He sighed lightly, "Okay, maybe I'll call my parents and invite them t-"

"NO!" Nagato exclaimed suddenly, "You uh... You can't do that!" She assured, holding up her hands defensively, "I-I mean uh... They have already been invited! So, just bring some friends so you can have fun!"

"You invited my parents before inviting me?" Adachi tilted his head confused.

"Yes, for no particular reason at all!" She assured with a nervous smile, "Anyways, you've got class, and I've got to prepare, see you Friday!" She waved goodbye to Nezu and All Might, before taking off. Not allowing Adachi to ask anymore questions.

The boy looked to his teachers, "So... This is okay?"

"Of course," Nezu nodded, "You'll have an escort to take you to the airport, but over all we are keeping this trip on the hush hush so the media doesn't find out, understood?"

"Yeah," All Might added in, "I-Island is very secretive about what goes on there, most research that happens there is kept under lock and key, so don't go blabbing about the trip to anyone other than your classmates."

Adachi nodded, "Right, thanks... I'm gonna head back to class, have a good day!" He waved them off, heading out the door to return to class, _"I-Island, fixing my Quirk, a vacation... This weekend is gonna be great!"_

 **. . .**

We live in a world where everyone wants to stand out.

"Everything seems to be in order, go on through."

"Thank you."

But ever since the day I was born, standing out meant survival, not fame.

"You can board the plane right through here."

"Yes, thank you."

"Have a nice flight and enjoy your stay!"

People claw their way to whatever position they need to get the gratification they want. Or they die trying, sometimes metaphorically sometimes literally. Its not just heroes and villains, like Endeavor always chasing the Number One spot, or like the League of Villains trying to soak up the Hero Killer's spotlight.

Everyone wants to stand out, maybe its to land that promotion, earn a raise, impress that girl or get that boy to ask you out. Usually dumb shit like that, the really pointless stuff. Which is where you and I differ, you try to stand out for attention and the acknowledgement from your peers you so desperately need to satisfy your ego, and I had to do it to survive. And survival is all that matters.

Object Permanence is the understanding that even if an object isn't visible, being touched, or heard, it still exists. If you put down a box, and somebody takes away that box, the box still exists as far as you're concerned, you just can't see it.

I am the opposite.

Try making friends that forget you when they look away for more than a few seconds. Try growing up with parents that have to leave reminders and notes on everything in the house so they don't leave you to rot in a crib in the spare room they never use. To say life has been stressful, for myself and those around me, is an understatement.

There are some loopholes, though they seem to be inconsistent. A few people I've met, usually the stronger willed ones, they remember me. Sometimes its those that I fail to kill, though that doesn't happen often. Maybe leaving a strong enough impact on a life has effects beyond what Quirks can do? I don't know, in the end it doesn't really matter.

Of course, after finding the right teacher, I learned how to put it to good use.

I can even turn it on and off, hiding my ability.

"First class is right this way ma'am."

And that's why I'm working hard to make life easier for myself now, now that I have control. You'd be amazed at what you can get away with when nobody remembers you for more than a few seconds. I don't know if I was always destined for the life of a criminal, but its fun. I wouldn't work out well as a hero anyways, whats the point of trying to build a reputation that everyone will eventually forget anyways?

Like you, you already forgot about me didn't you?

Fade, that's what Zodiac introduced me as.

And you don't even remember.

Go ahead, go back to when the Zodiac was introducing Failure to everyone... Chapter 56.

Like her, you don't remember me at all.

That's probably for the best anyways.

My name is Sonzai Suru, I wonder how long you'll be able to remember...

 **. . .**

"This is so exciting!" Mina beamed, looking out the window as their plane made the descent over I-Island.

"Oof, sorry Adachi it looks like winter came early here," Kirishima teased, Adachi grimacing as he saw that large portions of the city below were covered in snow, "Guess you've gotta stay wintered up here huh?" He chuckled.

Adachi sighed lowering his head, "Dammit... I was hoping it would warm on this island," But he snapped himself out of it quick, "Whatever! I'll enjoy my time here even if I am freezing my tail off!"

"That's the spirit." Nagato added with a light laugh, "Once we're on the ground I'll have someone direct you to the hotel room, unfortunately because of the timing there won't be much open that you can do aside from maybe going out to eat."

Adachi shrugged, "That's fine, we can have our fun tomorrow before the Expo starts, that's not until late right?"

She nodded in response,"That's correct, but I'll make sure you're hooked up with passes so you can enjoy all the islands facilities during your stay."

"Awesome! Thanks so much Nagato!" Ashido replied with a big grin, practically bouncing in her seat as they neared the runway.

Once they went through the landing stage, the group quickly made their way off of the plane. There weren't many others on board, only a few groups that also looked like they were here for business. Likely the others that were all aiming for that open space here on I-Island. Which did bring up something else that had been on Adachi's mind for quite a while now.

"So you're basically just presenting something to try and earn your place here right?" Adachi asked as they passed through the terminal, after grabbing their luggage, "You went to all this trouble bringing us here, so I assume you're pretty confident huh?"

Nagato grinned smugly, "Perhaps, but I wouldn't want to ruin any surprises juuuust yet."

"Heh, don't worry I'm sure she's got this in the bag!" Kirishima fist pumped, "Now lets go find our room! We can drop off our stuff and then get some dinner!"

"Yeah lets gooo!" Mina urged shaking Adachi's arm.

Making him laugh in response, "You guys sure are pushy, you'd think you'd show more appreciation to the guy who got you here!"

As they laughed and walked off together, another pair of eyes watched. Narrowing them briefly before bringing a hand up to her ear, "This is Suru reporting in, I just arrived but we have a small... Well, not problem, but an unforeseen variable."

"Report, what is it?" His voice was rough, like sandpaper across your face.

"UA Students," She answered, "Heard them talking on the plane, here with Nagato Kibari."

"Hmm... We'll proceed as planned for now," The man replied calmly, "If all goes as planned, they should be out of here before we get things started."

"Roger that Wolfram."

 **. . .**

The next morning they were greeted by a messenger in the form of a small robot. It had a message from Nagato, giving them the time and location of the Expo later tonight as well as their passes to do whatever they want while here. Along with some additional info that they would find quite useful. Explaining the rules on I-Island that allowed for free Quirk use without repercussions so long as they weren't used to harm anyone. Meaning they could show off as much as they wanted!

"So we can basically use our quirks as much as we want here?" Kirishima questioned, after Adachi finished reading off the paper.

"Yeah that's what it sounds like," He shrugged, "I suppose that explains why we were told to bring our costumes."

"Well then lets suit up and go strut our stuff!" Ashido urged, grabbing her case and heading for the bathroom to change, "What can we do this early and in the middle of winter anyways?"

"Well the training areas are all open," Adachi explained, looking over the map, "A few testing zones, not sure what we can do there... The plaza will be open, so we can shop or get food," He narrowed his eyes for a moment before frowning, "Aw man, the fair grounds are closed because of the snow."

"Well that's lame." Kirishima replied, already nearly fully outfitted in his costume, "But why don't we grab breakfast and hit one of those training areas?"

"Sounds good to me." Adachi nodded, quickly heading to his own room to get changed.

Once the three of them were all suited up, they started making their way out of the hotel. They were just entering the lobby when a familiar, towering and fiery figure stepped into view coming from a different elevator. Looking a little grumpy as per usual, was the new Number One Hero.

"Endeavor?" Kirishima blurted upon seeing him, apparently loud enough to get his attention for a moment.

Apparently not in any hurry, the Number One Hero approached them, "You two, you're Shoto's classmates right?" He questioned, looking to Mina and Eijiro.

"Uh, so am I." Adachi pointed out, "Though, maybe you don't recognize me." He added, scratching the back of his head, "Kaiji Adachi."

Endeavor seemed to hesitate briefly at the name, "Adachi eh? You've certainly... Changed, since the Sports Festival." He pointed out bluntly.

Earning a somewhat nervous laugh, "Yeah well... Might end up changing again before this trip is over, but yeah." This felt awkward, maybe it was nothing but... Speaking so openly to this man didn't feel right.

 _"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL BREAK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY KENTO!"_

And Adachi wasn't the only one feeling it, as Endeavor remembered what his mother had said that day at the Sports Festival, "Well... Good luck with that I-" He stopped himself, looking down briefly at his hands.

 _"This is the man, the man that broke my husbands spine! The bastard hero Endeavor!"_

"Uh, you okay?" Ashido quirked an eyebrow, "Is Shoto here too?"

"No he... Declined the invitation," He answered, shaking it off before looking to the scaly boy, "Adachi, about your... I-"

"Hey Kaiji!" All heads turned to the voice as it exploded in through the front door.

"Mom! Dad!" Adachi exclaimed with a grin, watching as his mother held the door open to allow Kento passage. Both of them carrying a suitcase of their own. It felt like he hadn't seen them in awhile, since moving onto the UA Campus.

"What are you two doing here?!" Kirishima added.

"Nagato invited them." Adachi explained with a chuckle, "I guess I forgot to mention it."

"If you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to." Endeavor coughed, clearing his throat before walking off.

Shisui narrowed her eyes at him, the duo approaching the young heroes quickly, "So what did he want?"

"Just uh... Saying hi I guess?" Adachi shrugged, not really sure himself, "So your flight must have been this morning?"

"That's right, we didn't feel like taking an overnight flight so we had one set up early today," Kento explained with a chuckle, "By that Ms. Kibari you are acquainted with."

Mina tilted her head confused, "But why would she invite your parents? Couldn't you have just invited them?"

"I don't know," Shisui shrugged, "She said the three of us were her guests of honor."

"We were just about to go get breakfast and check out some of the testing grounds." Kirishima cut in excitedly, "Want to join in?"

Kento waved him off with a nervous laugh, "No thank you, we only just arrived on an early flight, so we're going to get settled into our room, perhaps later?"

"Alright, let me know if you need anything." Adachi nodded with a smile, "Lets go guys!"

 **. . .**

After grabbing a quick bite, they were stepping through the gates into a new area. Some kind of training field, where various men and women in lab coats watched over and took notes. Though there were only a handful of actual heroes here, most were probably deciding to stay in and out of the cold or were getting ready for the Expo later this evening.

The open stadium had light snowfall coming in from above, but the fake battlefield below shifted constantly, changing the terrain to get more varied results. Adachi was about to ask one of the attendants if they could just hop in before he heard a thunderous roar. One that might strike fear into the ignorant, those that didn't recognize it. But he knew exactly what it was, and immediately ran to the railing.

"AAAGH! It's really him!" Adachi cried out like a kid in a candy store, eyes glimmering.

 **"HRAAAAH!"** An explosion of metal scrap and wires flew across the training area. As the massive Pro Hero Godzillo laid waste to a horde of training mechs. A few low impact missiles peppered his sturdy hide, causing no damage at all. But he quickly returned fire with his own atomic breath, lighting up the area with blue as the beam of heat melted and tore through the machines in seconds, **"Ha! You guys could use better training equipment!"** He gloated loudly, coat billowing briefly in the wind his explosions created as he turned and started walking back towards the stairs.

"Whoa Adachi, isn't he the hero you used t-"

Before Kirishima could even finish speaking, Adachi bolted to the stairs with breakneck speed. Reaching the railing so he could speak with Godzillo, the hero hadn't even started his climb yet but with his incredible height they were eye level, "Godzillo! I can't believe you're here! I've always wanted to meet you! I followed your work so much before I enrolled at UA! I'm a HUGE Fan!"

He quirked an eyebrow, his deep red pupils focusing on Adachi, "Hmm... You look familiar, oh that's right! You've got a kaiju quirk as well right?" Taking a calmer tone so his voice wasn't so booming.

Adachi's heart skipped a beat, "Y-You've heard of me!?" He could die happy, knowing his childhood hero had noticed him.

"That's right," He released a low chuckle, "One of my sidekicks showed me some video of you, a month or two ago... You were in that mess with the mutant lady right?"

"Y-Y-Yes sir that was me! I-I was the big scaly lizard." He answered, _"Of course you were you moron! Why would you say that!? He's gonna think you're an idiot!"_

"That was good work, gotta admit I haven't gotten to really lay waste to a city fighting a real monster in quite some time." Godzillo replied, deep voice rumbling as he drew in a heavy breath, "Why don't you hop down, and show me what you can do."

"R-Right I'll just..." He swallowed nervously, "Y-Yes sir, that sounds fun!" He put on as best a smile as he could, trying to appear confident. While on the inside he- _"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"_

"How about a race?" Kirishima chimed in, seeing this as a great opportunity to poke some fun, "You can time us right?" He called to one of the attendants, "All three of us will see who can destroy their mechs the fastest!"

"Yes of course," She nodded in response, "I'll have to field set for you."

"Yeah that sounds fun!" Ashido grinned, "I've been hoping to test my speed strats, hope you're ready to lose in front of your idol!"

Godzillo cleared the way for them, chuckling as he watched, "Hope you prove them wrong kid."

Adachi nodded eagerly, "I won't lose!" He assured, already starting to transform as he walked down the stairs. Skipping all formalities he went straight to Kaiju form, releasing a powerful roar as many of those watching immediately turned focus to him, **"Lets GO!"**

"No holding back? Alright come on!" Kirishima took a place beside him, hardening up all the way to Unbreakable.

"All that extra weight will just slow you down Adachi!" Mina teased, acid beginning to leak out of the bottom of her shoes as she prepared to take off.

"Each competitor will have 30 Robots to destroy," The announcer called out, "The one who destroys them the fastest will be declared the winner... On your mark, get set... GO!"

As the siren buzzed, Adachi charged forward. Snow falling across his body as he raced towards the mechs, smashing into them with fang and claw, talon and tail. Crushing them one after another.

At the same time, Kirishima was smashing through the machines with no effort at all using his hardened body. They were shredded like tissue paper along the jagged edges of his form. Sparks flying, while those watching took notes of his easily he turned the machines into scrap.

Unfortunately for both of them, Ashido was racing ahead. Using her impressive speed and athletic ability to not only avoid the machines but weave an intricate pattern between them. A single splash of perfectly aimed acid would have them crumbling even as she slid by faster and faster.

With a brief look at the scoreboard Adachi realized she was in the lead. He couldn't look bad infront of Godzillo, he needed to pick up the pace! He opened wide, unleashing his own atomic fire. It cut through a number of the mechs as he kept running. But as his feet crunched through the fallen snow beneath them he realized he was starting to get sluggish, _"What the hell!? The patches, they aren't... Crap, I should have tested them in this form! They aren't providing enough heat! This cold is-"_ A single misstep was all it took, Adachi tumbled across the ground rolling through a few more mechs before he came to a stop. His breathing haggard and body feeling heavy.

"We have our scores!" The attendant called out, as Mina and Kirishima's names appeared on the board. Adachi was holding second place pretty firmly, before he took that fall.

"Adachi!" Ashido cried out, racing over to him as he shrank back to normal size, "You alright? What happened?"

The boy blew a small burst of fire into his hands, shivering, "Patches didn't provide me enough warmth when I was big," He explained, rubbing his shoulders to try and create more heat, "And I think I overloaded them when I used my fire breath." He explained, standing up, "Ugh... I feel so tired..." He grumbled out, both annoyed and embarrassed.

 **"A weakness to the cold is a pretty easy one to exploit,"** Godzillo called from the edge of the field, raising his booming voice, **"You should work on your tolerance, or get better support gear!"** He chuckled, before heading for the larger stadium exit that he could actually fit through.

"He's right," Adachi fell to his knees, babbling in an exaggerated tone, "I'm useless in the cold! I'll never be a pro with such an obvious weakness..."

Ashido sighed shaking her head, "Oh get up you big dork."

"Yeah aren't you being a little dramatic?" Kirishima chuckled, grabbing Adachi by the hands and pulling him up, "Come on, lets get you out of the cold."

"Excuse me?" All three heads turned to the new voice. She was a young woman with straight blonde hair long enough to stretch down her back. She had deep sky blue eyes and a pair of red, oval frame eyeglasses. Dressed in a simple orange plaid sweater with white pants and red boots. She had a heavier coat draped over one arm, "I couldn't help but overhear, please take my coat." She offered with a smile, holding it out to them.

"Thanks," Ashido smiled and nodded, accepting it graciously before draping it over Adachi's shoulders, "Names Mina Ashido, these are my friends Kirishima and Adachi."

"Thanks for the coat." Adachi answered, pulling it tight around himself as he sniffled a bit already feeling the cold getting to his sinuses.

"You're a real life saver." Kirishima chuckled patting Adachi on the back as they began walking towards the edge of the field.

"No problem." She laughed lightly, "My names Melissa, Melissa Shield, my dad is an inventor here on I-Island." She explained with a friendly smile, "I heard there were some UA students visiting the island, so I wanted to come see them in action."

"Sorry for putting on such a poor performance," Adachi answered lowering his head in defeat, "I'll just go back to the hotel room and crawl into bed to die now if you don't mind..."

Ashido swatted him on the back, laughing, "Oh come on Adachi!"

Melissa laughed lightly as well, "No no it was fine really! In fact I found your weakness interesting, but you said you already had a support item to help with it yes?"

"Uh, yeah," Adachi nodded, pulling off one of the small thermal patches and handing it to her, "The idea is that they pull and hold heat from my fire when it builds up inside of me, redistributing it and keeping me warm after they're charged up." He explained, "But I think they weren't big enough to effect my Kaiju form, and I burned them out when I used my heat wave..."

"Hmm, interesting..." She muttered, taking it from his hand and inspecting it for a moment before pocketing it, "Are you guys here for the Expo?" Added as an afterthought as they left the field stepping back out onto the road leading to the plaza.

"Yeah actually," Kirishima replied, "My buddy Kaiji here got invited by one of the company heads trying to earn a place here, they even invited his parents too!"

"Oh really? What an interesting choice." She blinked in surprise.

"Why is that?" Ashido questioned curiously.

"Well usually we get a number of heroes here that are often sponsored by or supported by specific companies," Melissa explained, "Endeavor was invited this year because he became the new Number One Hero, but its surprising that your friend would invite a young hero they aren't sponsoring, maybe they've got some business plans for you?"

Adachi shrugged, "Maybe? She was planning to help me out a bit with my Quirk as well so maybe that was it? Still doesn't explain why she'd invite my parents though..."

"Well either way, it should be a fun night." She replied with a smile, "Its not often there are so many people around my age at these things, we should talk more at the party."

"Sure why not," Kirishima shrugged, "Sounds like fun, we can meet outside before it starts."

"Great," Melissa smiled warmly, "And don't forget to wear something fancy! It's going to be a big night!"


	60. The Expo Party! A Standing Ovation!

**Good morning to all my readers! Before we get started I just wanted to say a little something.**

 **On a whim I looked back the original version of this story, and was surprised to find tht we have almost DOUBLED the amount of views here on the new version. I suppose that was too be expected because yeah, this version is WAAAAY better than the first.**

 **But even so, that is a ridiculous number of views! Even the per chapter numbers are huge.**

 **But I didn't bring this up to brag, I just wanted to say thank you. To everyone that takes the time to read my work. Even if you don't say anything, just knowing that people are taking the time to read what I put out there makes me feel good.**

 **Anyways, enough of that, enjoy!**

* * *

As day turned to evening, heroes and scientists began gathering in the great hall for the Expo. And while that went on, a seedier group of individuals were gathering for a final meeting before their plans would be put into action.

"You all have your targets, we begin the attack at 1:00 PM Tomorrow," Wolfram stated calmly, looking over the map, "By then almost all the heroes should have left on their flights home based on the schedules we obtained, they're all just here for the Expo so they'll likely be gone by tomorrow afternoon."

"We have four targets," A young woman with pale white hair chimed in as she ran her fingers across the map between each marked location. She was clad in an outfit that made her look like a witch, long black dress that was perhaps a bit too form fitting, and a big pointy hat, "The first is the most important to this operation being successful, I'll take care of that, once Suru marks his location."

"Already done, passed by on the way in and slapped it on without him even noticing." She answered with a faint smirk.

"Good... Once Charm's secured the first objective," Wolfram continued, "I'll give the signal to the rest of you to proceed as planned," He pointed to the first location, north of the central plaza, "Goro and Sonzai will hit the Robotics Depot, collect the schematics Giran wants, and destroy everything else."

Goro nodded, the heavy set man grunting out, "Yes sir." His thick grey skin filled with glowing veins.

"Once you've finished that objective, Suru will move on to secure our ride out of here," The leading villain went on, circling a specific plane in the hangar, "We meet here once all objectives are completed, if you haven't acquired your objective, don't bother showing up." His words were harsh, but expected, "I'll be hitting the control tower with Shin, and our hired guns." Looking to the heavily armored robotic suit nearby, "We'll turn over control of the security systems and bots to us, giving us our own army if anyone does remain to fight back... Finally, you two." His eyes landed on Spitfire and Firefly, "The medical research center, apparently somebody has been cooking up a few useful toys there, the details are in your report, we'll know for sure if it's worth it after the Expo so just memorize the details for now."

"No sweat." Spitfire smirked, nodding his head, "We'll be ready."

"Good, if we pull this off you'll all be allowed into the League of Villains, so keep that in mind and don't fuck this up."

 **. . .**

"Ugh, I feel so stupid wearing this..." Adachi grumbled, looking at himself in the mirror as he adjusted his tuxedo. Provided graciously by their hosts, Adachi found himself cursing the fact that he had to wear this get up. It felt so fancy, but was colored in a wacky way. The coat and pants were both lime green, while the undershirt was white with red streaks, "I look like I'm watermelon flavored!"

"Aww come on Adachi its not so bad!" Kirishima teased, finishing up his final touches. His own suit looked standard, deep blue coat and pants with a black undershirt and red tie.

"EASY FOR YOU TO SAY!"

"Will you two stop it!" Mina chimed in as she stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a lovely light blue halter dress with black trim and red belt around the waist, "We're gonna be late! Melissa is probably waiting already."

Adachi blushed deeply upon seeing her, "R-Right yeah... Lets get going!"

A short elevator ride later, and they were out the door. Climbing into the limo Nagato had sent them, taking it all the way to the great hall were the Expo was being held. There were a few people still outside when they arrived, some pulling up in fancy cars as well. As Adachi stepped out he offered a hand to Mina to help her out.

"Such a gentlemen~" She teased with a giggle, taking it graciously.

"What no hand for me?" Kirishima asked jokingly, snickering in amusement as Adachi glared back at him.

"Hey guys!" Melissa called from the door, "Arriving by limo? Fancy~!" She giggled as they approached, "Here, I brought something for you Adachi." She explained, holding out her hand with a large red cloth in it.

"Uh... A scarf?" Adachi blinked, taking it from her somewhat confused.

"Yeah, I examined that device you were using before and talked to my dad about it," She explained, "This material was designed for hero costumes in places that are naturally cold most of the year, it'll generate heat as you move around and retain it much better."

"That's amazing, thank you so much!" Adachi answered in awe, quickly wrapping it around his neck, letting the excess hang down his back. The red looked pretty good with his terrible tux.

"Thanks Melissa, you're a life saver." Kirishima chuckled, "Now lets get inside! I wanna find a good table and get some food before the presentations start!"

 **. . .**

"And you don't feel any different?" Shisui questioned, looking down at her husband as they rolled up to a table, "Those weird tests didn't... Hurt or anything?"

"No dear, for the hundredth time I'm fine." Kento assured, chuckling as he patted her hand, "I appreciate the concern, but it was just an exam."

"Hmph, if you say so." She narrowed her eyes, _"If it was just a medical exam, why was I told to wait outside huh?"_ Though her suspicions were set aside as she saw Adachi and his friends entering, "Kaiji!" She shouted, not caring who it bothered, "OVER HERE! We got a table!" The duo were dressed up as well, though Shisui made it clear she wouldn't be caught dead in a dress so was wearing an emerald green women's tuxedo. While Kento had on a nice silver tux with a blue tie reflecting the colors of his old hero costume.

Adachi noticed the two of them and began heading over, waving apologies to some of those giving dirty looks, "Hey Mom, Dad, how has your vacation been?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Fun, we got a tour of the island earlier today," Kento explained, "You all look good, who's this?" He asked looking to Melissa.

"Yeah she's way too cute to be Kirishima's date so what's up?" Shisui added.

"Rude!" Kirishima replied with a laugh, knowing she was just poking fun.

"Hi, I'm Melissa Shield," She greeted with a light blush, "Its a pleasure to meet you both, I ran into them at the training area this morning, found out they'd be here too so I tagged along."

"Her dad is an inventor," Adachi explained, "They put together this cool scarf to help me stay warm in my hero gear!"

"Well isn't that something," Kento chuckled, "Thanks for helping him out."

"O-Oh really it was nothing! I like helping heroes out." She assured, waving them off as she blushed bashfully.

Adachi was about to add more when he noticed a familiar hairline across the room. There was no mistaking that messy head, "Is that Midor-"

"May I have everyone's attention please!" A voice called from the center stage, an elder man in a suit stood before a large microphone, "We are going to begin the presentations here shortly, afterwards you are all free to enjoy the party as much as you like." He explained, "If you would all take your seats we may begin!"

As people began shuffling to their seats, Kento wheeled himself out a bit, "I'm going to use the bathroom, be back shortly!" He assured with a smile, wheeling himself away before anyone could stop the man.

The division of Adachi's attention caused him to lose the figure, but he was almost positive it was Izuku. "Whats up with him?" Ashido asked curiously, bringing his attention fully to the table, as she took a seat beside Kaiji.

"Not sure," Shisui narrowed her eyes, "But he's up to something."

"Now then," The man up front began a few moments later once everyone was seated, "I'd like to thank you all for coming, as you all know we have recently opened up a space here I-Island after the removal of Forma Gen for their despicable practices discovered in recent months." He explained with a grimace, "The following presentations will be from those competing for our investors interest, so watch and enjoy."

A number of people clapped as he finished speaking. But afterwards, began the long slog of the next hour and a half. Adachi and his friends were bored out of their minds for the majority of it. Sure there were some interesting products being presented, suits of power armor, high tech weaponry, new medicines. They all sounded great in theory, and the men and women presenting them were quite confident. But Adachi was noticing a repeating pattern, almost everything they were showing were obvious prototypes. And those that were finished products seemed to be asking for large sums of money to support mass production.

He was beginning to wonder where Nagato was, and more importantly where his father had went, before the man returned to center stage, "Now for our final presentation, Nagato Kibari representing her company, Gentek."

"Good evening everyone," She greeted as she stepped up to the podium, "Tonight has been quite something, over all being here on I-Island is something I never thought would happen to me," Nagato began with a slight chuckle, "My father's humble company has certainly come into its own over the last few months, and no matter what happens here tonight let me start by saying I appreciate being given this opportunity," She bowed her head slowly to the crowd, before turning attention to the screens behind her, "Now, let us begin."

They began to light up, showing various images of X-Rays, many of them were of damaged organs or broken bones.

"For tonight's event, I invited someone whom I would not be alive without," She continued, pressing another button before footage started playing. Looping some of what was caught on camera by news crews of the attack of Ryukyu's Agency, "Almost half a year ago, I came to heroes seeking help because my father had been murdered, and those who were seeking to use his company for illegal drug production were coming after me as well... But I survived, thanks to the efforts of Ryukyu, her sidekick Nejire-Chan," A smile crossed her lips before she pointed out across the room, a spotlight highlighting Adachi, "And an intern with more resolve than I could ever expect from a boy his age, Kaiji Adachi."

Adachi stiffened in his seat as all eyes landed on him. He laughed nervously, as people in the room began to give him a round of applause, _"Thanks for putting me on the spot Nagato."_ He thought while trying to shake off his bashful blush, waving like an idiot.

"He suffered terrible injuries protecting me," Nagato went on as the clapping died down, "The kind of injuries that could end a career, that HAVE ended carriers... But Kaiji Adachi possesses an amazing ability, the power to regenerate on a remarkable scale." One of the videos was highlighted, showing a loop of his arm growing back rapidly to slam Vector, "Ever since that day, I've been fascinated by this power, and looked into other heroes or just ordinary people with similar Quirks... And studying the field of cellular regeneration is what brings me here today, with what I can only describe as a miracle cure."

The images changed again, setting the videos aside as what appeared to be blood cells appeared on screen. But they were discolored, silver in appearance on the microscopic scale.

"For the investors consideration, Synthetic Cells that can be programmed to assist in the repair of injuries written off as permanent by most doctors." She announced with finality and confidence in her voice, "While these cells can't do anything as incredible as regrowing limbs like my scaly friend over there, they can be injected into body parts seen as permanently broken, repair and reinforce the damaged pieces before decaying safely into the bloodstream."

If people weren't muttering before they sure were now, chatter beginning to fill the room. And Adachi could tell Nagato expected this, hiding a smirk just as swiftly as it appeared. And he couldn't blame her, this sounded amazing!

"Now, let me introduce another guest I brought tonight," Nagato went on, pointing off stage. Another spotlight hit, as Kento slowly rolled himself out onto the scene, "Kento Adachi, the father of the brave young man you met earlier, and a former hero." She explained.

"Good evening everyone." He greeted with a nervous laugh, waving to the crowd.

"Kento, known also by his hero name Colossus, was injured in the line of duty and suffered damage to his lower spine leaving him paralyzed," Nagato explained grimly, "It is injuries like this, that I believe the Synthetic Cells can cure, so never again will a hero or even a hard working mother or father have to worry about losing their way of life because they took a nasty fall or got into an accident!"

More applause filled the room, as Endeavor watched Kento from his own table, _"I should speak to him... Would he even want to hear an apology from me? Dammit, why is this so hard..."_

"Yeah he's definitely up to something." Adachi noted, looking to his mother.

"There is no way she brought us here just to use him as a stage piece." Shisui muttered in response, on the edge of her seat.

"Now then, that will be all Mr. Adachi," Nagato said with a smile, "If you'd please return to your seat."

"Of course." Kento nodded, rolling himself towards the stairs.

"Ahem, excuse me sir," Nagato spoke up, "That isn't a handy-capable exit." She pointed out.

"Right of course," Kento answered, waving her off, "Though, I don't think I'll be needing those anymore."

A series of gasps filled the room, as Kento slowly rose from his seat. Using the railing for support, taking one step at a time he began to climb down the stairs. Shisui and Kaiji were stunned, jaws on the floor as they watched him.

"This morning after their arrival I offered the Synthetic Cells to Mr. Adachi," Nagato went on, speaking over the stunned crowd, "With his consent of course, he was my first human test subject, and now just hours later he is capable of walking with only minor aches and pains! I need no more of a presentation than that, thank you for giving me your time." She bowed her head, and the lights came back on as people cheered.

Shisui practically bolted from her seat, racing to her husbands side and embracing him. Tears were running down her cheeks, "You jackass!" She sobbed against him, squeezing him tight, "I can't believe you pulled this stunt behind my back, I should kick your ass now that I know you'd feel it!"

Kento laughed, patting her back as she cried tears of joy, "I know I know, I'm sorry... Nagato approached me months ago about this research of hers, and was interested in my own minor regeneration," He explained, as they made their way slowly back to the table. While Nagato herself was swarmed by people asking questions, "I wanted to keep it a secret, in case it didn't work so you didn't get your hopes up for nothing."

Adachi wasn't sobbing like his mother, but found himself a little misty eyed as he watched him walking. He'd never seen his father walk before, ever since he was a baby the man had been in a wheelchair. And now he was up and walking around, Adachi looked towards Nagato, nodding to her with a smile, "Thank you."

Though she couldn't have heard him, Nagato gave him a big thumbs up in response.

Ashido was patting Adachi on the back, offering her support while Kirishima was practically roaring with cheers for Nagato. They'd known Kaiji's father for a long time as well, and were just as happy to see him on his feet again.

The night went on from there, the party continuing with bustling laughter, talk and music. It was nearly indisputable that Gentek was getting the position here on I-Island, and Nagato was talking with investors left and right eager to get more details on her product knowing it was a cash cow just waiting to be milked.

Meanwhile, Adachi spent a while talking to his father. Both he and his mother were ecstatic about his ability to walk again and got all the details. This entire thing was a set up by Nagato, of course the I-Island part wasn't added until very recently.

But as things started to slow down, Adachi found himself on the dance floor. Body stiff and nervous, one hand on Ashido's hip and the other locked with her own as they danced together. She had a smile on her face but Adachi was afraid he was sweating through his suit.

"You need to relax," She giggled lightly, "Why are you so nervous?"

"Do I look like I know how to dance Mina?" He barked back, before sighing lightly, "Sorry, I know... I need to chill out, this whole trip has just been a lot to take in."

"Hey its okay," Ashdio assured, "I get it, if you don't want to dance we can find somewhere quiet and just relax for a little while?"

"N-No its okay, I want to dance with you," Adachi replied quickly, "This is your vacation too, tomorrow we should find something you want to do." He offered with a small smile.

"Well I know the hotel has an indoor hot tub~"

Adachi was afraid his nose might start bleeding, before he laughed it off, "I swear Mina, I think you drive me crazy on purpose!"

Mina laughed lightly, smirking playfully, "Why what ever do you mean~?"

Adachi rolled his eyes at her obvious teasing, "You are a real piece of work, this is what I get for falling in love with a crazy chick."

"Hey I'm not-" Her words hitched, her movements stopping completely as her eyes widened, "Wait... What did you just say?"

"I-" Adachi's words caught as he spotted that hair again across the room. Thoughts coming to a screeching halt, "Hang on a second, I'll be right back." Before breaking away, quickly rushing off after the figure as it slipped out through another door.

Leaving Ashido standing there, processing what he'd said.

Adachi didn't slow down, nearly running as he chased it outside into the next hall over, "HEY!" He barked, there was no doubt about it. As the figure's body stiffened, Adachi knew it was him, "Midoriya?!"

The boy turned around slowly, dressed in an equally terrible tux and bow tie, "H-Hey Adachi, fancy meeting you here..." The look on his face made it painfully obvious he'd been avoiding them.

Adachi moved closer, "Don't give me that, what are you doing here?"

"W-Well its kind of a long story," He laughed nervously, "All Might got an invitation from a friend of his, and decided to bring me as his plus one."

Adachi quirked an eyebrow, "Doesn't sound very long to me..."

"Yeah well, the thing is," Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, "All Might's friends daughter Melissa told me you were here, along with Kirishima and Ashido, and I figured it might be a little telling if I was invited here by All Might, so he wanted me to keep it a secret, as far as the class knows I'm visiting my Mom this weekend." He sighed heavily.

The lizard boy nodded slowly, of course he had to keep his relationship with All Might a secret still. "I see, almost forgot about that... Of course you wouldn't want them to see you, well don't worry I won't say anything." He chuckled lightly, uncrossing his arms.

"Thanks I appreciate it," Midoriya nodded with a smile, "By the way, where did you get that scarf? It looks kinda..." Midoriya was too nice to just say it, but it was clear he thought it looked terrible.

Adachi's eye twitched, as he spotted Midoriya wearing a similarly red bracelet on his right wrist, "I don't know Midoriya where did you get the friendship bracelet?"

"Excuse me," Their eyes darted to the left, spotting a tall man walking towards them, "If you two are finished, I'd like to have a word with the scaly kid." His hair was a writhing mass of tentacles, tied back into a ponytail. His clothing consisted of red and black loose fitting robes and baggy cloth pants. His skin was discolored, fleshy purple with various tendrils hanging off his body. His eyes were pure black, with purple rings making up the iris. And in the center of his forehead was a third eye that remained closed.

Adachi had never seen this man before, but just as he opened his mouth to ask who he was- "Whoa you're Eldritch right!?" Midoriya asked with that nerdy sense of wonder he always had, "The Pro Hero from Akihabara?"

The Pro seemed a bit surprised by his knowledge, but nodded, "That's right, but I'm not here to meet fans I need to speak with him."

"What for?" Adachi questioned, quirking an eyebrow suspiciously.

"The Zodiac." Both Adachi and Midoriya went wide eyed. Before Eldritch looked between them and sighed, "You two are classmates right? Yeah no point in trying to keep this private, I'm sure you'll just tell your friends anyways." He shook his head, "Look, consider this an informal meeting." He began, looking around to make sure nobody was watching, "I'm technically here on Vacation, so this is off the record."

"Vacation?" Adachi blinked.

"That's right, a member of my team was invited because her father is a big shot inventor," He shrugged, "I noticed you when that woman from Gentek gave her presentation, figured I'd get some questions out of the way." Eldritch explained simply.

"Everything I know about the Zodiac I already told the police after Dokuga." Adachi answered, shifting posture and crossing his arms.

"I'm sure you did," He chuckled lightly, "However, I've been put in charge of heading the investigation into her Gang alongside police."

"Does that include your whole team?" Midoriya asked curiously.

"No, the work I do is... Not public knowledge," Eldritch answered cryptically, "The police don't want to spread resources too thin with all the rising villain activity, and the League of Villains is still everyone's main focus but we can't just ignore a threat like the Zodiac and her gang of maniacs, especially now that they have a genetic monster on their team."

"That's true," Midoriya nodded, "I did some searching online after she broke out of jail, and her record is scary."

"She has killed no less than thirty Pro Heroes, and an unknown number of civilians that were just counted as collateral damage in her time," He went on grimly, "She is not afraid to kill, commands highly skilled criminals, and has openly challenged both Hero Society and the League of Villains," His eyes shifted back to Adachi, "So, I want to know how you're still alive."

"What?" Adachi was taken completely off guard by the question, "What do you mean?"

"You've encountered the Zodiac three times, up close and well within her range to kill you if she wanted," Eldritch explained, "She had you deliver information to DK about Forma-Gen, she snatched Failure right out from underneath you, literally," His eyes narrowed sharply, "Your Mother was at the same prison as the Zodiac, and you went to visit her every few months..." The accusation in his eyes was clear.

Adachi grit his teeth, "You can't possibly be suggesting that I'm working for that maniac can you!?"

"Hang on!" Midoriya held out a hand between them, his eyes darting to Eldritch, "No, that's not what he thinks... If you were a suspect, there is no way he'd risk confronting you in a public place, right?" He questioned, lowering his arm, "He must know what your Quirk is, if you went ballistic here a lot of people could be hurt."

His stern expression cracked, showing a small smirk, "Hmph, you're pretty sharp... And you're right, despite what some of the brass might pitch as theories, no I don't think you're a secret member of the Zodiac Gang."

Adachi put his fangs away, releasing the tension in his muscles, "Well that's good, but then what do you want?"

"I want to know why she hasn't killed you," He shrugged simply, "Despite you getting in her way, and from your own record, making it clear that you would try to stop her given the opportunity, why hasn't she gotten rid of you?"

Adachi lowered his head, "I guess I... Never really thought about it, I just assumed she was toying with me..."

"She's a master at manipulating peoples emotions," Eldritch added, "From DK's record, she basically made that wild beast Failure kneel to her like a well trained mutt," He scoffed shaking his head, "My fear, is that she has plans for you... And probably others, we don't know what they are but you need to stay on your toes."

Adachi nodded slowly, "Right, if anything else happens I'll make sure to pass on every detail to the police."

"See that you do," He replied, turning slightly, "Anyways, I've bothered you two long enough, and there is champagne calling my name, have a nice night."

With that, he began to walk off. Leaving Adachi and Midoriya alone in the hall. The green haired young man looked to Adachi once Eldritch was out of earshot, "He makes some good points, it sounds like the Zodiac wants you for something."

Adachi narrowed his eyes, briefly remembering what she said in Dokuga, "Yeah... I just don't know what."

 _"Hmph, and here I had high hopes for you, what a disappointment..."_

As they walked back towards the party, another figure watched from the shadows. Smirking in amusement, before bringing another hand up to her ear, "Charm, I'm marking a second target, I think he'll be quite useful in distracting the UA brats..."


	61. Operation Time, Villains On the Move!

The remainder of the night went by fast as there wasn't much left. Adachi attempted to put aside what Eldritch said, but it was always sitting on the edge of his thoughts. And it wasn't as if he hadn't thought about these things before, he knew Zodiac wanted something from him. And knowing what she was capable of, that terrified him.

But maybe he was over thinking things, maybe the Pros would catch her before whatever she wanted came to fruition? Yeah, that was pretty likely, and UA would protect him anyways, he didn't have anything to worry about... Right?

As dawn broke the following morning however, Adachi awoke much earlier than he would have liked thanks to a phone call he wasn't expecting.

"Nagato? What's up?" He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes after rolling over to answer the phone.

"It's time!" She declared with intensity.

"Time?" Adachi yawned, sitting up and stretching, "Time for what? Breakfast?"

"No! Well, maybe, this will probably go better if you've got a full stomach? I don't know," She answered dismissively, "Either way! Today we're fixing your Quirk!"

That woke him up almost immediately, "Oh, right! I'd almost completely forgotten about that..."

"Meet me down in the lobby! You've got a big day ahead of you!"

 **. . .**

It didn't take long to reach the medical center once they were on the road. The sun was barely over the horizon, and Adachi was tired, leaning against the cold window and nearly drifting off. Nagato on the other hand, was wide awake and optimistic.

"We'll start by hooking you up to an IV to get some nutrients into your system just in case," She went on, sipping her morning coffee as she looked over her notes, "The over all risk is very small, so I'm confident this should work out in our favor."

"Our favor," Adachi repeated, yawning and shaking his head trying to fight off the sleep. "So this should force another transformation?"

"Your _final_ transformation." She corrected, smiling excitedly as they pulled up to the building, "Come on, we should get started early, there is no telling how long the recovery period will be." Some of her men opening the doors for them.

Adachi nodded in thanks as he stepped out, shivering in the cold, "Hopefully not too long, we do have a plane to catch today." He reminded with a small, tired chuckle as they made their way inside.

"Of course of course!" She answered with a laugh, "That's sort of why I booked our flight for later this evening, you'll pretty much be getting back and immediately hitting the bed for school tomorrow."

Adachi sighed, "Great, thanks." They passed by many doctors and scientists going about their work, moving deeper into the complex, "So the Expo went pretty good huh?"

"It most certainly did," Nagato chuckled, "My place here is secured, the investors were very interested in those synthetic cells... Though it may be years before such a thing can be mass produced, but I've landed my spot and that's all that I care about for now."

"Glad to hear it, I'm sure your Father would be proud." Adachi replied, flashing a smile.

Nagato nodded, "I'd like to think so..."

Not wanting to shift the tone onto a possibly sore subject, Adachi cleared his throat, "By the way, thanks for helping my Dad walk again." He said, stopping as they reached the doors to the operating room, "Really, I... I never got to see him walk before last night... He's been in a chair as long as I can remember."

Nagato looked down at him, smiling as she nodded, "Hey, don't worry about it, you've done more than enough to-"

"I know, you keep saying that," Adachi cut her off sharply, staring back into her eyes with intensity, "But you know what, I didn't have to consider it when I helped you, I just did it, I never expected... All of THIS to come back around to me," He explained, "For years, I know my Mom blamed herself for what happened to my Dad, and I know my Dad hated being stuck in a wheelchair, so the fact that you took the time and spent the money to develop something to fix people like him? You're a great person Nagato, thank you." He bowed his head in respect.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, before laughing it off nervously, "Yeah, I guess so... But hey we aren't finished yet, come on we need to get you prepped." She smiled, pushing open the door to let him inside, watching him go through, _"You humble little bastard, don't you understand that I'm only like this now... Because of you?"_

 **. . .**

 **Meanwhile**

"Dammit," Kirishima pulled the toothbrush from his mouth, sighing and shaking his head before tossing the cut up piece of plastic into the trash, "Gotta remember to pick up more disposables..." His jagged teeth having made short work of the tool.

He stepped out of the bathroom, looking around briefly, "No sign of Adachi yet?"

"Nope," Mina replied, slipping her shoes on, "No text messages either."

"Maybe he's taking care of that business with Nagato?" Kirishima suggested with a shrug.

"Yeah, maybe..." Ashido trailed off, looking towards the window, _"What he said last night... I mean, I know that's how he feels but... He actually said it."_ She could already feel her cheeks turning colors, _"And then he just ran off... I'm going to slug him when he gets back!"  
_

"Yo Ashido," Kirishima snapped her out of it, waving a hand in front of her face, "I was asking if you wanna go get breakfast, but you're spacing out, what's up?"

Mina looked away nervously, "Its just... Last night Adachi said something to me and uh... Well..." Tapping her fingertips together.

The boy sighed shaking his head, "Nope, not touching this with a ten foot poll."

Ashido's eyes widened, "Kirishima! You're my friend you should want to know more!"

"I am not one of your girlfriends," He argued back, waving her off, "Save the gossip for Hagakure or Uraraka, I'm going to get some grub..."

"Hey! Wait for me!"

 **. . .**

"Any second thoughts yet?" One of the men standing over Adachi asked with a chuckle, as they restrained him to the chair he was laid back in.

"Not yet," Adachi replied, having been stripped down to his boxers with various IVs and other wires attached to his body, "But what are the restraints for exactly?"

"More for our safety than yours," A female nurse replied with a smile, "Our records say your transformations are quite volatile, so if things start going south we'll need you held down while we inject you with sedatives."

"Good to know." He rolled his eyes, before looking up towards the observation window as Nagato appeared, waving at him with an eager smile.

"Hey Adachi!" She greeted, speaking through the intercom, "Are you excited? Nervous?"

"Both, I suppose." The scaly boy replied, laying his head back as they finished attaching things to his body, "So how is this supposed to work exactly?"

"I'm glad you asked!" It sounded like Nagato was having fun more than anything else, "So we'll start by stimulating your Plus Alpha Cells, basically poking at your Quirk Factor directly, using the advanced medical equipment here on I-Island we can monitor these Cells on, well, a cellular level." She explained eagerly, "We stimulate the under developed ones, and force them to grow the way your others have, that should bring you back into balance and help you REALLY reach your final form."

"Alright, sounds easy enough..." He nodded slowly, taking a deep breath before sighing, "Is it going to hurt?"

"Well, its not supposed to..." She answered somewhat nervously, "But we can't be certain, you are the first person to go through this."

"That inspires confidence." Adachi replied, shaking his head and steeling his nerves, "Alright, lets get to it!"

"Alright, just lay your head back and relax." One of the doctors urged, as a large metal object moved over his body, hovering at least a foot over him with various lights and screens, "This is going to start scanning your body, and help us locate the number of underdeveloped cells we need to target."

"Okay, sounds simple enough." Adachi nodded in understanding, "How long will it take?"

"Several hours, without any issues that is."

"What?" Adachi blinked, realizing his last day on I-Island was going to be spent on a table.

"Hey why do you think I scheduled such a late flight?" Nagato's voice chimed in over the intercoms with a chuckle, "Anyways, start the scan! We don't have all day!"

 **. . .**

The day was crawling by slowly, as Endeavor waited patiently for his plane to be ready. He was ready to leave this place, knowing he had more important things to do back home. He sat in the terminal, leaning forward with elbows on his knees deep in thought.

 _"I missed my chance to apologize but... Is that even necessary anymore?"_ He wondered, thinking about the Adachi family, _"He can walk again, its a miracle, I should feel some sort of relief but... I know that woman probably still hates me, I doubt my presence would do anymore than anger her... Or is that just me being a coward?"_ He narrowed his eyes, _"If I can't face a single angry citizen, how can I face my-"_

"Excuse me sir," One of his assistance spoke up as she approached, "Your plane is all ready to go, shall I take your luggage?"

"No, that won't be necessary," He answered, rising from his seat and grabbing the suitcase, "I'll get on board now." The Number One Hero added, heading for the boarding area, _"No, now isn't the time... I'm not here to make amends, I was invited to an Expo as the Number One Hero, nothing more."_ He assured himself, halfway to the plane when he stopped suddenly, _"Wait, who invited me again?"_

Before he had a chance to think about it, a violent explosion erupted throughout his plane starting at the fuel tank. The shock wave blew him back a few feet, as he weathered the heat and his eyes widened, "What the hell!?"

 **. . .**

"Is the runway clear yet?" Godzillo grumbled, waiting patiently to board his private, massive carrier plane. A vehicle he required specifically for such trips because of his immense size.

"Eh, actually sir," His assistant laughed nervously, "It would appear one of the planes blew up, belonging to the Japanese Hero Endeavor."

"What?" He leaned over, focusing more attention on her, "What happened? Was anyone hurt?"

"Emergency crews are hosing down the wreckage now, apparently nobody was on board the private jet when it happened, a few service men nearby were injured by debris." She explained, "But it looks like someone might have tampered with the fuel tank."

"Hmm, that is suspicious..." He narrowed his eyes, leaning back, _"I know Endeavor isn't a very popular hero despite his placement at the top of the Japanese charts, but to try assassinating him?"_ He grunted, shaking his head, "Keep your ears open for any more information."

"Of course sir."

Just then, the door at the other side of the room opened. And in stepped a young woman, dressed like some kind of witch, her cloak opening to reveal the purple, leather strap outfit beneath it, "Wow you're really here! Mr. Godzillo its such an honor to see you in person!" She gushed, bouncing forward excitedly. Certain assets bouncing along with her...

"Excuse me Ms." The assistant quickly walked forward to meet her, "But this is a private hangar, who allowed you in-"

She was silenced, as the woman delivered a devastating punch to her gut, toppling her, "Sorry, not here for you!"

"Hey!" Godzillo rose from his seat instantly, "Who are you!? A villain!? Well you made a big mistake coming after ME!" He swung his massive tail around, smashing through a few boxes before it struck the earth kicking up dust.

But the criminal was already on the move, jumping and landing on his tail she began racing up his back dashing between the spikes, "You're certainly strong, Mr. Godzillo, but you'll have to be faster than that to catch me!"

He tried to swat at her with his massive hands but she weaved between them with ease, _"Her speed is inhuman!"_

Her hands began to glow, as she raced up to his eyes, "Can't have you getting in our way big guy!"

As the lights blinded Godzillo, the hero fell to the ground and everything went black...

 **. . .**

Wolfram was on standby, casually eating lunch waiting for the signal to make his move on the control tower. His costume had been put away, so he looked like an ordinary maintenance worker on break. Looking at his watch, he smirked slightly, _"Charm should be reporting in any time now..."_

"Wolfram, first objective has been completed," Her voice sounded in his ear right on cue, "Ready to move on your orders."

"Perfect," He muttered, chuckling to himself, "Standby, once the clock strikes 1:00, unleash him on the city and head to the Medical Center, Spitfire and Firefly will meet you there and you can take the second target as well, in the chaos of Godzillo's attack we'll storm the control tower."

"We've got a problem though," She added quickly, "Apparently there was some kind of accident on the runway, Endeavor's plane blew up and he's still here."

"What?!" He exclaimed, gritting his teeth, "Dammit... Alright, don't panic, we can handle him if he gets involved, but the security bots should be enough to suppress any resistance." He had to stay calm, they were so close, "We aren't going to back down because of that hot headed chump."

"Of course, I'll see you at the rendezvous."


	62. Final Evolution, I-Island Raid Begins!

"Here you go, enjoy your meal!" The lady behind the counter bowed her with a smile as Kirishima took the food.

"Thanks." He replied, returning the smile with a toothy grin before he started making his way back to the table. Where Ashido sat with her head down, "Still haven't heard anything from him?"

"Uuuugh no..." She grumbled, raising her head only slightly to look at the food.

"Well maybe after we eat we can head over to the medical center and see if he's still there?" Kirishima suggested, setting down their lunch before sliding into his seat at the booth, "He's gotta almost be finished by now right? Its past noon!"

"Yeah, I guess that sounds like a good idea," She nodded, finally sitting up so she could start eating, "Mmm, this place has great food too, its like a paradise."

"Hey did you hear what happened at the runway?" Voices from the next table over drifted in, "Apparently Endeavor's Plane blew up!"

Kirishima blinked in surprise at that, looking to Ashido before both of them went into full eavesdropping mode, "Yeah, its amazing nobody got hurt."

"They said it looked like someone sabotaged the fuel tank, so was it some kind of assassination attempt?"

Kirishima stiffened, eyes widening slightly.

"Who on I-Island would try to kill Endeavor?"

"I don't know, but security is freaking out over it, and Endeavor doesn't seem too happy either."

Ashido held Kirishima's gaze for a moment, "We should eat fast."

"Yeah good idea," He nodded, beginning to quickly scarf down his food, "I have a really bad feeling about this..."

 **. . .**

"His heart rate is spiking, we need a sedative!"

The average human being has anywhere between Thirty and Forty Trillion Cells making up their bodies. This number began to vary wildly, once Quirks appeared and Plus Alpha Cells joined the equation.

"Wait! His heart is seizing, he's going into Cardiac Arrest!"

"Get me the defibrillator! AND HOLD HIM DOWN DAMMIT!"

Quirk Factor; A measure of a persons Quirk power and properties based on the number of Plus Alpha Cells in their body. People with exceptional Quirk Factors have powerful Quirks, the kind that grant raw power like All Might, and Endeavor. While smaller Quirk Factors lead to Quirks that, if applied to hero work, require more technical skill and practical experience such as Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, and Eraser Head.

"CLEAR!"

"GAAAAH!"

The easy part of this operation was locating each and every under developed Plus Alpha Cell in his body, using the same machinery they use to measure Quirk Factor. That was only step one, the next step was to begin administering a growth supplement to help those cells reach maturity.

"Heart is stabilizing but we should stop and let him recover before we continue!"

Nagato was hesitant, looking down at Adachi from the observation window, _"That was too close, and it might only get worse as we go..."_

"Nnn... No!" Adachi managed to bark, panting heavily and sweating enough to start soaking the bed beneath him, "K-Keep going!"

There were roughly Thrity Million Underdeveloped Plus Alpha Cells in his body, just under a third of his total count. As they started to make them grow, his body changed in subtle ways. Skin discoloration, feathers growing more dense, the crest on the back of his head was shrinking while two horns began to sprout at the back corners of his skull.

"He's right," Nagato said over the intercom, "This is only going to get worse before it gets better, we push through now or not at all... Hang on Adachi."

He nodded slowly, "I always... Do..."

But as more cells were forced to grow, the changes were getting more violent, seizures and spasming occurred as muscles grew, bones shifted. But it was effecting his insides as well, and the closer they came to equalizing his cells the more violently his body reacted.

Adachi was in agony, his body thrashing about against the restraints. The IVs in his arms and legs had to be held steady by extra hands. Adachi's eyes were wide open, teeth grinding together so hard as they sharpened that his gums were bleeding. But he refused to stop, not when he was so close, "This is nothing! I've felt worse! I've been through worse!" He shouted, not even realizing he was speaking out loud as his claws began digging into the bed.

He knew this was it, because he recognized this feeling. The same thing he'd felt before, during the training camp.

"REMEMBER!" He arched his back, crying out as he burned from the inside, "Remember what it felt like!"

"He's spiking again!"

"Its almost over! The cell count is dropping rapidly!"

"AAAAAAAGH!" His scales were shifting in color, getting darker while the blue from before highlighted the spaces between them faintly. His head throbbed as a horn grew on each side, his jaw popped and teeth crackled as it grew more structured, "HOW IT FELT TO BE RIPPED APART AND PUT BACK TOGETHER! _"_ A sharp pain hit in his upper back, near his shoulder blades.

Trapped inside his own body, unable to move as the Noumu tore into him with various tools. Feeling his skin being rent open, bones crushed before that final release. Breaking free of his own skin. That sweet release, when the pain disappeared and everything felt natural and right, if only for a moment.

 **"HAAAAAH!"**

"THAT'S IT! ALL CELLS HAVE BEEN EQUALIZED!"

Nagato instantly started barking orders, "Sedative and pain killers NOW! Get that heart rate down, MOVE!" They immediately cut the flow of the stimulants attacking his Cells, while the doctors around him scrambled.

But just seconds after the orders were called, Adachi collapsed on the table. All thrashing ceased, as he laid there panting heavily. The only pain remaining was that which was left behind clenching so tightly for so long. The doctors around him ceased movement, watching him cautiously as silence filled the room.

"Heart rate is... Stabilizing." One of them muttered, as the beeping of the monitor began to slow down.

Nagato watched with baited breath, daring to ask the question everyone was thinking, "Adachi... How do you feel?"

"I..." He didn't have any trouble speaking at least, though his voice was haggard, "I think I'm okay," The boy answered, attempting to lift his hand before realizing he was still restrained, "Mind uh, letting me out now, please?" He asked, a small smile crossing his lizard lips.

"R-Right of course." One of the men nodded, as he and several others began undoing his restraints. Though given the horrifying display he'd put on, they were still being cautious and kept their distance.

Once they were free, Adachi sat up slowly and rolled his shoulders. He felt exhausted, his throat hurt a bit from all the screaming and he could still taste his own blood. But other than that...

"I feel... Great, honestly." He said with a confused tone, rubbing his sore wrists, "I mean... Its weird but this feels so..." Wiggling his fingers, he blinked, "Natural."

Nagato was already taking notes, "Natural? That's good, very good, somebody bring in a chair and we'll get this boy to a proper bed."

Without waiting for any such thing, Adachi swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. Nearly stumbling, his feet hitting the floor faster than he'd expected, "I'm... Taller?" He realized, grinning suddenly, "HA HA! YES! Back to my original height!" He beamed, checking himself over, "Hey is there something on my back?" He asked, unable to see.

"Uh, kind of?" The doctor replied, handing him a small mirror.

"Huh? Those..." He saw the small protrusions coming from just behind his shoulders, near the spine. He reached out and tapped it, "Some kind of bone protrusion, with webbing along the underside."

"Webbing?" Adachi repeated, quirking an eyebrow before rolling his shoulders, "Huh, it doesn't feel wrong..."

"They look like under developed wings, or fins maybe." One of the doctors pointed out, "How interesting..."

"Well I did have gills before, at least in kaiju- wait, wings?" Adachi repeated, blinking in surprise, "You mean I might be able to fly?"

"You know as much as we do," Nagato chimed in, as she stepped through the doors to the room having left the observation deck, "Anyways, lets get you into some clothes that fit, and perhaps lunch?"

"Lunch?" Adachi questioned, "How long have I been in here?"

"Well we started at 8:00 and its about quarter to 1:00 right now." She explained.

"I've been in here for almost FIVE HOURS!?" He exclaimed, "Ugh, alright fine whatever, yeah lets get some clothes and food."

"I told you it was gonna take awhile," Nagato rolled her eyes, "Right this way lizard lips."

 **. . .**

"We're in position, ready to move on your orders." Spitfire spoke through his communicator quietly, as he hid in the alley across the street from the Medical Center.

"Good, hold position and wait for Charm," Wolfram ordered, "That tracker Suru slipped onto the kid says he's inside the building and we can't risk him causing more trouble than he's worth."

"Yes sir." Spitfire nodded, looking to Firefly, "Almost time, just a little longer."

She nodded, smirking eagerly, "Gotta say, playing the bad guys is pretty fun, I'm all tense~"

"Well you stay pent up," Spitfire flashed her a sly look, "And we can take care of that tension together, later~"

 **. . .**

"So you don't feel sore anymore either?" Nagato questioned, sitting across from Adachi as he scarfed down large mouthfuls of food. Taking big gulps of water to help force it down between bites, "Your healing abilities must have been retained, perhaps even amplified? We should hit the training field to see how you hold up physically as well."

"Mmhmm!" Adachi replied through a mouthful. Having been given some clothes that fit him before coming to the mess hall, he now wore a pair of blue jeans and a black T-Shirt, with his specially made scarf sitting nearby, "Sounds good to me, I wanna test this body out!"

"That's the idea, you should text your friends and let them know to meet us there." Nagato reminded, smiling brightly. Positively elated that everything had gone so well this weekend.

"Yeah that's-" Adachi blinked in realization, "Oh crap, I think I left my phone in the hotel room, they've probably been trying to contact me all day." He laughed nervously, "Ashido is gonna kill me..."

"Well I can have someone find them I suppose," She shrugged in response, leaning back in her chair, "Shouldn't be that hard."

"Hey!" A man shouted as the door burst open, eyes darting to everyone in the room, "Turn on the I-Island network quick! There's an emergency broadcast!"

"What?" People questioned, muttering starting to fill the room as all eyes turned to the large wall TV. It flicked over from the previous program, instantly showing images of burning warehouses and ruined streets near the runways.

"-illo is on a rampage, attacking randomly and destroying any buildings he comes across." The woman announced clear and calm, "The damage is so far limited to the runway and hangars, security teams have been dispatched to get all I-Island Citizens clear of the area while our drones will be deployed to subdue him until we can find out what's going on."

Adachi was already on his feet as he watched, eyes wide, "What? Godzillo is... Why? How!?"

"A hero that size turning bad here is terrifying." Nagato muttered, watching the screens equally confused.

"We are still not aware of the reason that made him go on this rampage but all attempts at communication have been met with violence." She continued, "So it is advised that everyone please follow security protocols and head to the nearest shelter until this matter is-"

The image cut out, turning to static as everyone began chattering louder. Confusion and panic were starting to spread quickly. Before finally, the image returned. But it wasn't of the same woman as before. Instead the people of I-Island were looking upon a terrible, sinister face.

He was a tall man with very dark, red hair. His face had dark patches of skin, which covered his mouth, nose, eyes, and part of his forehead. He also had a scar on his left cheek. He was wearing a very large white coat, with light gray cuffs and lining, along with gray combat boots, baggy sweatpants, and a combat vest.

 _"Shit..."_ Adachi thought, clenching his fist and realizing quickly that things were about to get worse, "A villain!"

"SSSHH!" Someone hushed him, as the man on screen started to speak.

"Citizens of I-Island, don't be too scared now," He said with amusement clear in his voice, "Follow your procedures, head to your safe rooms and hide away, because as of right now this Island belongs to me," Wolfram chuckled wickedly, "Godzillo isn't the hero you all thought eh? And now, unless you play nice he's going to destroy every square inch of this island!"

Adachi grit his teeth, "This bastard..." He knew all too well the kind of destructive power Godzillo had, if he went on a rampage in the suburbs here, hundreds would be killed.

"We have seized your security systems," Wolfram continued, "We own your machines, you are our hostages until we say otherwise, so sit tight and be quiet... This will be over before you know it, so stay out of our way while we get what we came for." And with that the screens went blank.

The room remained silent for a moment, before Adachi looked to Nagato, "Where would they go to find the most valuable tech here on I-Island?"

"What are you thinking Adachi?" Nagato asked, drawing the attention of others in the mess hall.

"I'm thinking we need more information, if we can figure out what they are after, and how they got Godzillo on their side maybe we can stop them!" He answered, walking back over to a table, "There are still heroes here, that means a counter attack is possible but we need to know more about th-"

"Counter attack!?" Another man exclaimed, "You heard what he said! If we fight back Godzillo could go rampaging in the residential district!"

"And they have control over all our security systems! They could be watching us right now!" Someone else added.

"They're not wrong Adachi," Nagato admitted begrudgingly, "You need to think about this, I know you're amped up because you got an upgrade but you kids can't take down a band of terrorists all alone, not when other lives are at stake."

Adachi clenched his fists tightly, _"They're right, I know they're right but..."_ He took a deep breath, calming himself, "I know, I know you're all right... But are you really happy to just sit back and let them steal your hard earned progress?" He questioned, looking across the room, "This is I-Island, home to the smartest scientists from around the world! Are you guys seriously telling me you can't think of any way out of this?"

But the only answer was silence.

"I don't want to give up," Adachi's eyes darted towards a table at the far side of the room. An older man was rising from his seat, beside him was a familiar young girl, "I want to protect what we've created here."

"Melissa," Adachi muttered, realizing this must be her father, "What are you-"

"We came to use the machine that measures Quirk Levels," She answered, more people clearing out of the way, "For Uncle Might..."

Adachi's eyes widened, spotting All Might in his emaciated form, "That's right, we had to wait because you were using it and... Well, now here we are."

"Where's Midoriya," Adachi questioned, walking towards them. Various people muttering about the state of All Might before their very eyes, "We could use his help... And Kirishima and Ashido! Nagato give me your phone so I can make a call!"

"Hold on young Adachi," All Might answered, rising from his seat as well, "What are you planning to do exactly?"

"I'm going to fight back," He replied sharply, "There are other heroes still here right? If we can get everyone together, we might be able to take these villains down!"

"An interesting idea," All heads turned as the smug voice chimed in, "Guess I'll just have to shut that down right now." As three villains walked in through the doorway.

Adachi's eyes widened, teeth gritting, "Spitfire! What are you doing here!?"

"That voice..." Firefly blinked, "You little shit, hey Spitfire, this brat was in Dokuga! He might look different but I definitely recognize his voice, this is one of those kids that helped expose us!"

Spitfire grinned wickedly, raising his blaster, "Then this is gonna be all the sweeter!"

The raid on I-Island had begun, with heroes scattered and villains on the attack. Things were just getting started, and Adachi had a feeling this was going to be a very long day...


	63. UA Students VS The Raiders!

**weslyschraepen: Third and FINAL time mind you XD**

 **Apostlelord: Hey thanks for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story :D**

 **WolfDragon: Well we've still got a lot of I-Island to go :3**

* * *

Endeavor sat in a chair at the airport lobby staring at the nearest TV. The villain's message had just been broadcast, and now he was here surrounded by people waiting to see what he was going to do. He was the Number One hero after all, he would save them right?

 _"Something here doesn't add up."_ He thought, rising from his chair slowly, _"Why did they want me here? It must have been one of the villains that tampered with my plane... Were they just trying to kill me? Or do they want me here for something?"_

"Sir, what are you going to do?" His assistant questioned, as he began walking.

"I'm going to have a look around," He replied calmly, "Stay here, and stay safe." His eyes shifted to everyone watching him, "All of you stay safe! If there are any shelters nearby, seek refuge there! I'll do my best to sort this out."

"They've got numbers on their side," Came the voice of Eldritch as he approached, a young woman in casual winter wear beside him. Her hair was bright pink and tied off in several different ponytails, "Let us give you a hand."

"You two, are you Pros as well?" Endeavor questioned.

"Hah, well I guess that shows how much you pay attention," Eldritch smirked, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "Number 24 Hero, and Lovecraftian Horror, Eldritch."

"Music Idol and Sound Wave Hero, Anthem!" The woman chimed in with a big grin, "We'll back you up!"

Endeavor's eyes widened, "Anthem, wait I _have_ heard of you... Alright, lets get moving and talk strategy..."

 **. . .**

"SMAAASH!"

The door was blown right off its hinges, slamming into Spitfire and knocking him aside as Midoriya charged in. Taking the villains off guard, and instantly ensuing chaos.

"Everyone GET TO SAFETY!" Adachi shouted, breaking into a sprint towards the enemy as people scrambled.

"You brat!" Firefly turned her own blaster on Midoriya, firing rapidly. But the young hero dashed between her shots with blinding speed.

 _"Their weapons are primarily ranged, and their quirks aren't used for combat!"_ Midoriya knew about these former heroes, closing the distance and drawing back his fist to knock her block off, _"So long as I stay on top of them I can-"_

"Not so fast kiddo!" Midoriya was broadsided, a kick empowered by a sharp heel struck him across the head sending him tumbling across the floor. Rolling with the momentum, he kicked off it and back to his feet. Charm stared back at him with a grin, _"Dammit, two targets, and I can only maintain one more connection, lets see how this plays out."_ She licked her lips, eyes darting between Adachi and Midoriya, "Boys please, give a girl a break, I couldn't possibly handle you both~"

Midoriya swallowed nervously, "I really don't like that look..."

"Kinda reminds me of Midnight," Adachi added, holding his stance, _"I don't know this new bodies limits, or how strong I am yet..."_ His eyes moved to Spitfire, as the villain rose to his feet and pushed the door aside, _"Trial by fire it is!"_ Eyes widening, as the villain raised both arm cannons at the young heroes, "Midoriya watch out!"

"Just die brat!" Spitfire shouted furiously, his visor cracked from the doors impact. He opened fire with no hesitation, more than willing to gun them down.

Adachi took the brunt of it, covering Midoriya with his larger body. The energy shots struck his scales, burning only slightly but dealing no lasting damage. The young hero blinked in surprise, eyes widening, "It doesn't... Hurt?"

 _"You turn into a giant monster, that is your quirk plain and simple, along with whatever powers that adds... However, this and whatever forms you have in between now and THAT form are stabilizers."_

A grin spread across Adachi's lips as the revelation sunk in, _"Croc form's durability and strength,"_ His tail slammed the floor, cracking the tiles with ease, _"And skink forms speed and agility,"_ He broke into a sprint at Spitfire. His speed easily matching Midoriya's own.

"Gnngh!" Spitfire opened fire out of reaction. Peppering Adachi's form with the light green bolts but never quite breaking through his tough scales. He had no chance of defending himself, as the boy spun around and slammed him in the ribs with his mighty tail. "GAAH!" The man cried out in pain, before he was sent tumbling across the floor hitting one of the cafeteria tables.

 _"Incredible,"_ Midoriya watched in awe, _"Whatever happened to him, he's moving even faster than I can with a continuous 8%! Even if its only a little bit,"_ He smirked confidently, clenching his fist and facing the remaining villains, "We can do this, lets go Adachi!"

"Right!" The lizard boy replied, turning attention to Charm and Firefly, "COME ON!"

"Dammit!" Firefly spat, raising her blaster frantically, "Do something, Charm! Do your thing!"

"Just deal with that other brat," She ordered, dashing ahead to meet Adachi head on, "I'll take care of this one!"

"Stay back!" Firefly shouted at Midoriya, laying down a hail of fire. More so at the space between them than at the boy himself, trying to fend him off.

"Gah!" He hissed as a shot grazed his leg, making him jump back, _"I can't get close!"_

 **. . .**

"Hurry everyone, get to the sub level!" David Shield ordered, waving people through as they made their way down the stairs, "We'll be safe there while this mess blows over!"

"Papa," Melissa hesitated by his side, "I want to help, isn't there something we can do?"

"I know its hard, but we have to leave this to the heroes..." He answered grimly, lowering his head, "Those children..."

"Hey," All Might cut in, placing a hand on his old friends shoulder, "Those children are far stronger than you realize, I believe in them..."

Though David didn't look too convinced, he nodded, "Come on, lets watch the entrance and keep an eye out for anyone else that needs to get to safety."

 **. . .**

Meanwhile, Adachi was riding the high of his newfound strength. Swinging aggressively at Charm as they met, but she ducked low. She wasn't just fast, she was flexible, bending beyond Adachi's reach before sweeping the legs out from under him. But rather than hit the ground, he landed on one hand and sprung himself back up, spinning mid air attempting to slam her with his tail.

"You're fast," Charm noted, brandishing a knife from her large sleeve, "But not fast enough~!" Dashing in, she began swinging her blade, attempting to strike at non-vital areas, _"I just need an opening!"_

"That's what you think!" Adachi smirked, leaning back just enough to evade her swing as it grazed the edge of his scales, "I just wanted you as close as possible!"

"What!?" Her eyes widened, realizing that the spaces between his larger scales were lighting up around the neck and chest. His feathers were starting to glow, and she knew this wasn't going to be good, _"I have to get back!"_ Planting her foot to jump, she only just barely made it out of the way as he opened his maw and unleashed a beam of hot blue fire.

It was the same kind of heat ray he unleashed in Kaiju form, but didn't pack quite the punch. Upon impact a small explosion filled the room with smoke, spreading out quickly. Adachi's body was filled with heat, revitalizing him with the surge of warmth, "Dammit, thought I had her..." He muttered, wiping his mouth and trying to see through the smoke, _"Wasn't expecting the beam, this new body is so cool..."_

"Close," His eyes widened as her voice sounded from behind him, "But blocking your field of vision from an opponent that's faster than you is a rookie mistake."

His eyes were blinded by a bright light, as her hands clapped down over his face.

At the same time, Midoriya used the cover of the smoke to make his move. While Firefly was blinded, he got in close and went for a finishing blow!

"One for All, SHOOT STYLE!" His leg slammed into her from the side. He could almost feel the bones breaking beneath her skintight suit, as she cried out in pain and was sent crashing into the counter at the far side of the cafeteria. Deku slid to a stop, panting lightly as the force from his kick blew away the remaining smoke, "And that takes care of them... Now just have to deal with that creepy woman."

"How rude," Charm's voice sounded from across the room, filled with mirth, "Is it so wrong to be a little strange? What do you think, Adachi~?"

Midoriya's eyes widened, the smoke finally clearing completely. To reveal Charm standing beside Adachi, leaning against him as he stood with a fierce, predatory look on his face. His eyes were glowing pink, the same color as that light in Charm's hands, "Adachi! What are you doing!?"

"Joining the winning team~" Charm answered with a wink, before leaning up to Adachi's ear, "Now, I want you to kill him... Be a good boy and do that for me~"

And Adachi nodded slowly, and stepped forward while growling lowly. His eyes locked onto Midoriya, "Hrrr... HRAAAAH!"

"Adachi NO!" Deku cried out desperately, as Adachi charged him full speed. The boy only just managed to jump back in time, _"Its no good! He won't stop! But if her power is anything like Shinso's Quirk, then a good hit shout snap him out of it!"_ He planted his feet against the wall, "I'm sorry Adachi! But its the only way to save you!" He launched himself at the boy, spinning with his momentum and trying to deliver a powerful kick to the side of Adachi's head.

"Hrrr!" Adachi's arm was up just in time, blocking the kick as a gust of wind was unleashed from the point of impact against his forearm. The boy's eyes began to light up along with his scales, as he opened up wide, "HRAAAH!"

Midoriya knew what was coming, he back flipped out of the way by planting his foot on Adachi's exposed chest and kicking off. The beam of fire that followed grazed his jacket, burning the fabric but nothing more as Midoriya landed, _"This isn't good, he's got no control over his actions at all! And he's not sluggish or stupid like people that Shinso controlled..."_

His eyes darted to Charm, as she helped up both Spitfire and Firefly. Barking orders at them, something about securing their objectives. But Midoriya didn't have much time to think about it, as Adachi charged him once again. Slashing viciously at Deku with his claws, shredding bits and pieces of his sleeves.

 _"He really trying to kill me!"_ Midoriya was backpedaling, trying to maintain distance between himself and his mind controlled friend, _"I need time to think! But he's not giving me any chances! This is bad!"_

 **. . .**

"Good thinking," Endeavor commented, as he touched down in the humid, wet concrete surface of the sewer beneath him, "I doubt they will monitor camera feeds from the drainage system."

"And since I kept this handy map," Anthem added with a smirk, flipping open the paper, "We should be able to find our way to the control tower no problem."

"That doesn't answer the problem of how we're supposed to make the climb," Eldritch chimed in, sealing the manhole above them before jumping down into darkness, "They'll have it locked down no doubt, and none of us can fly so getting to the top is gonna be nearly impossible."

"The control tower connects to all the drones and security systems remotely right?" Endeavor questioned, creating a flame with one hand to give them light, "If we can find a way to disrupt that signal, we might be able to make ourselves an opening."

"But where are we gonna find a jammer strong enough to disrupt the tower?" Eldritch questioned as they began walking, "Let alone someone to broadcast it from."

"I was thinking the emergency broadcast station," The Number One Hero stated calmly, "It should have its own off grid power source in case of emergencies, and likely has a separate method of broadcasting that can't be shut down from the tower."

"Maybe those big speakers they use to announce curfew?" Eldritch suggested, flashing a smirk, "Good idea, of course that's just what I'd expect from the Number One Hero."

Endeavor rolled his eyes at the jab, "However, we still need a jammer."

"Assuming they have the equipment, I can be our jammer." Anthem answered proudly.

"You?" Endeavor questioned, stopping at a crossroads in the sewer paths, "How so? I thought your Quirk involved sound waves?"

"It does," She replied with a nod, "My Quirk is called Sound Weaver, I can record and amplify sound waves, I use it a lot during my performances."

"Its pretty much the reason she's famous," Eldritch rolled his eyes, "She performs an entire concert as a single person."

"Jealous Mako~" She stuck her tongue out at him, before looking back to Endeavor who appeared unamused, "Anyways, if I create a strong enough combination of sounds, and blare it through the PA system it should be enough to disrupt their control, even if only for a few minutes."

"Hmm, sounds good," Endeavor nodded, "We'll split up then, Eldritch and I will head to the tower while you head for the Broadcast station and get that signal out, we'll start climbing the tower to keep their attention on us just in case they notice you over the camera's."

"Hold on Endeavor," Eldritch cut in, "There is still the issue of Godzillo, if we start a big fight that monster might attack the shelters or the residential district." He reminded, crossing his arms, "I hate to admit it but that villain was right, the civilians are his hostages so long as Godzillo is waiting to attack."

"And what would you suggest?" Endeavor demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Split off entirely," He shrugged in response, "I'll go after Godzillo, try to distract him while you attack the tower."

"Going alone is dangerous," Anthem argued with a frown, "Godzillo is a powerful fighter, and what if Endeavor gets overwhelmed at the tower?"

"Hmph, as if I'd be overwhelmed by such careless villains," Endeavor scoffed, waving her off, "Very well Eldritch, go after Godzillo if you must, I'll hit the tower while Anthem heads to the broadcasting station... Keep an eye out for anyone else that can help along the way, I'm sure you'll need it."

Mako smirked, glad to see the Number One Hero's ego was easy enough to manipulate, "Sure, whatever you say."

 **. . .**

 _"Ugh... My head, what is..."_ Adachi felt so groggy, his head was stuffy and he had a hard time focusing. He couldn't open his eyes, everything around him was dark, _"What happened? I was... I was fighting right? That woman, she attacked me and-"_ A glimmer of pink light flickered through his mind, and his eyes shot wide open.

He could see, but he couldn't move. Midoriya was in front of him, his jacket torn up and his arms and chest having various cuts and scrapes.

 _"Midoriya! What happened!? Are you okay!?"_ He was opening his mouth to speak, but no sound came out beyond a violent hiss and snarl. As Adachi's body moved without his orders, he realized what was happening, _"Charm! She took control of my body with that light! Dammit! NO! STOP IT!"_ He shouted frantically, watching as Midoriya desperately tried to fight him off.

To Deku's credit, their fight was at a stalemate. Each hero trading blows, unfortunately for Midoriya, his body was far less durable than Adachi's. And though Adachi didn't know his limit, Midoriya's 8% wasn't going to cut it as far as dealing solid damage, _"Dammit Midoriya! Hit me harder! You have to hit me harder! This isn't enough!"_ He figured his young friend was having trouble actually hurting him, but even if it broke his bones Adachi knew he needed to be stopped!

But no amount of shouting would get through. Adachi felt like he was trapped behind a screen, watching as Midoriya was attacked viciously, relentlessly, by him. He started pounding on the invisible wall, shouting and trying to force himself awake. But nothing worked, he was going to have to sit here and watch until it was over. Until either Midoriya beat him senseless, or until Adachi killed him...

 **. . .**

"Go for his left! No the other left! MY LEFT!" Charm shouted, sitting on a nearby table as she watched the fight. Casually enjoying the chaos she'd caused, giggling to herself. She loved twisting people like this, making them attack friends or murder loved ones~ _"Hopefully he finishes up before Spitfire and Firefly find what they're looking for, I'd hate to miss the climax~"  
_

Midoriya jumped over another beam of fire that tore through a nearby wall into the hallway. Gritting his teeth as he winced in pain, _"I have to end this! Before he destroys the entire building!"_ He dashed forward once more, springing between floor and ceiling to try and find an opening. Before launching himself at Adachi, the scaly boy raised his arms to block the incoming blow.

But Midoriya's attack was just a feint, and instead of striking he flew right past him just by his flank. Before planting his feet and spinning around, attempting to deliver a powerful kick to the back of Adachi's head and hopefully knock him out. But before his blow could land, Adachi's tail lashed out! Catching Midoriya by the ankle, he spun and slammed him hard into the ground.

"Gaaah!" The boy cried out in pain, the impact forcing the wind from his lungs. But without waiting for him to get up, Adachi pulled him up and slammed him down over and over again. Cracking the floor tiles into shards, denting the foundation with his friend. Before finally throwing him into a nearby wall, where Midoriya hit hard and collapsed on his face, _"H-He's too... Too strong, attacking wildly, and those reflexes... I-I can't... I can't keep up."_

Adachi was in front of him already, leaning down he picked up Midoriya by his hair. Making him cringe in pain as he was forced up to eye level. Charm smirked playfully as she watched, "Excellent work~! Now be a good boy and finish him~"

 _"I'm sorry Adachi... I'm sorry I couldn't-"_ His thoughts came to a screeching halt, as his dazed vision cleared. And he looked Adachi in the eyes, he could see something. A faint spark, beyond the pink lights Charm left behind.

Though his face maintained that vicious glare, and his fangs were bared, he was shaking. And while his arm trembled, seemingly in some form of hesitation. A few words managed to escape between his clenched teeth.

"Please... Help me..."

Charm shifted in her seat, narrowing her eyes, "No, none of that, you get back behind your wall little boy!" She held up her hand, glowing palm flashing brighter as Adachi's body shuddered, and the shaking came to a halt, "You can come out, AFTER you murder your friend!" She pointed at Midoriya, punctuating her final order, _"This needs to end, this kid is stronger willed than I thought, why did Suru want him controlled anyways? Did she know this other kid would give us trouble?"_

"Adachi..." Midoriya grit his teeth, eyes beginning to light up, "I won't... I can't give up," He threw his legs upward as hard as he could. Striking him in the underside of the jaw, the impact had a serious effect as the mind controller lizard boy stumbled back and appeared briefly dazed, _"The underside of his jaw, that's it! That's how Mirio knocked him out cold before!"_ Looking down at his arm, and the red bracelet Melissa Shield had given him, Midoriya knew what he had to do.

"HRAAAAH!" Adachi snarled in anger, shaking off the attack and glaring daggers at Midoriya.

"Do it! Kill him NOW!" Charm commanded.

Pressing the button on the red bracelet, it extended into a strange metallic bracer that coiled around his forearm. Supposedly strengthening it, with shock absorbing power strong enough to handle a few of All Might's punches if Melissa was to be believed, "Hang on Adachi, I promise I'm going to save you!" He declared with fire in his eyes, "But its definitely gonna hurt..."

Adachi opened his mouth, unleashing another torrent of beaming fire at Izuku. But the young hero had gotten his second wind, and jumped clear over the attack. His body lighting up with that familiar glow, sparks of green electricity dancing around him. Charm's eyes widened as she watched, "What?! He's faster now!?"

The explosion behind Midoriya only drove him forward. As he closed the gap between himself and Adachi in a matter of seconds, drawing back his right fist, _"One for All, 20%!"_

Adachi brought up his arms, attempting to defend himself from the attack. On impact, a violent shockwave was released, blowing out the nearby windows. Adachi was trying to hold his ground, as Midoriya grit his teeth and pressed harder, "Come on! COME ON!" His voice rising, as did the power behind his blow, 25%, 30%, 35%!

It started with a crackle, the sound of bones breaking as Adachi's defenses gave way to Midoriya's superior power. The boy hissed in pain, arms being blown aside before he opened wide, "HRAAAAH!" Unleashing another beam, but this time Midoriya took a page out of his idol's book. And rather than try to evade by jumping back, he ducked right beneath the blast.

"60%! DETROOOOIT!" From below as the explosion echoed behind him. He swung upward with all his might, leading with the bracer and aiming for the underside of Adachi's jaw, "SMAAAAAAAASH!"

The blow shut Adachi's mouth hard, teeth and blood flying as it carried him right off his feet. The sheer force slamming him up through the ceiling and into the next floor before he came crashing back down, bouncing once on the ground before landing in a small pile of rubble. Midoriya stood nearby panting heavily, he looked down at the bracer and his right arm.

"Huh..." Charm blinked, and swallowed nervously, _"I think that's my cue to leave..."_

 _"It's not broken, and neither is the bracer!"_ He released a breath of relief before his eyes darted to Charm. The light of One For All hadn't dwindled in the slightest, and now it was her turn, "I won't let you get away with what you've done!"

Charm was already halfway out the window, looking back at him like a deer caught in the headlights before releasing a nervous laugh, "What? Me? I was just... BYE!" Without waiting, she jumped out into the street and took off running, _"I was told to come here and brainwash a kid, nothing beyond that was my objective~"_ She reasoned with a smirk, not really caring if Spitfire or Firefly made it.

"Hey!" Midoriya took one step before wincing in pain, "Ngh! N-No, the other villains are still here... I-I have to stop them too..." He looked back down at Adachi, kneeling beside him and checking his pulse, "Good, still breathing..." Before he noticed his open mouth, where it had been bleeding before was slowly healing. Even the teeth he'd lost were slowly coming back in, "Well, at least I know you'll be alright."

 **. . .**

"HA! Too easy," Goro laughed, walking alongside Suru as they departed from the now burning robotics center. Sections of the building were completely caved in, destroyed by Goro's raw strength while Suru collected the schematics they were ordered to retrieve, "Too bad no heroes were left, I'd have loved to have a real fight!"

Suru rolled her eyes, "Well perhaps you should go to the Medical Center then, I'm sure Spitfire and Firefly would appreciate the back up." She said with a smirk, "If I remember correctly, some of those UA students were there~"

Goro quirked an eyebrow, before grinning and showing his crooked teeth, "Heheheh, is that so? Oi! Wolfram!" He barked into his communicator, "We've secured our objective, what's going on with the medical center?"

"What? Oh, Shin give me camera feed for the medical center... What? Dammit, alright," Wolfram sighed heavily, "It appears some fighting has been going on there, you can do whatever you want so long as your objective is secure I don't care."

"Good!" Goro hung up quickly, "Get the schematics to the plane, I'm gonna go knock some heads!" He laughed, quickly running off and following the road signs. He may be a big fat idiot but he memorized the map easily enough.

Suru watched him run off, shaking her head, "What a dumbass..."


	64. A New Hero, The Jade Dragon Reborn!

**Important announcement! I realized recently that I'm sitting on like 7 more finished chapters, and don't have much planned beyond them atm. So rather than keep the pacing up, I'm gonna be posting what remains daily.**

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

* * *

A thunderous crash from downstairs drew the villains attention, both former heroes looking to one another, "Have we got everything?"

"No, we're still missing a sample of the Synthetic Cells," Firefly explained, tucking away the schematics for a new type of prosthetic limb, "I can't find them anywhere, its possible that woman doesn't have anymore or she's got them hidden away."

"Dammit," Spitfire grunted, "That was a bonus objective, but still... Lets head for the shelter in the basement and ask her ourselves."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Firefly questioned, "You do hear that right?"

"Hear what?" He replied, stopping in the doorway.

"Exactly, its all quiet downstairs," Firefly stated, "Don't you think Charm would have called in the fighting had stopped?"

Spitfire narrowed his eyes, "Shit... Alright, lets go, keep your gun ready and be quiet."

"Yes sir."

 **. . .**

Midoriya had just finished pulling some of the rubble off of Adachi when the door at the far side of the room was pushed open, "Young Midoriya!"

"All Might?" His eyes darted to his mentor, the boy standing up fully, "What are you doing here? You should be in the shelter with the others, there are still two villains upstairs..."

"I heard the crash and had to see what happened," He explained, rushing over before he looked down at Adachi, "It sounds like you smashed Adachi, why? What did those villains do?"

"One of them had a mind control Quirk and got him," Izuku explained, looking at his arms and wincing. Though none of the scratches were anything dangerous, he was still pretty sore, "Help me get him to the basement, then I'm gonna go take care of the other villains up stairs."

"Right," Kneeling down, the two worked together to lift Adachi. Each taking an arm over their shoulder as they hobbled off towards the door All Might had come through, "What about the villain that controlled him? Where did they go?"

"She ran for it once I beat him," He stated reluctantly, "I could've chased her but, I was afraid of leaving Adachi here alone."

"That's too bad," All Might noted, "Its seems obvious now, that she is the reason Godzillo is on a rampage."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Midoriya nodded as they reached the door, "But we can free him the same way I freed Adachi, a good blow to the head should be enough."

"Its gonna take a lot to leave a dent in that monsters hide," All Might reminded, "So I hope Melissa was right, and that bracer can handle 100%."

"Yeah, me too..."

 **. . .**

The sound of tires screeching filled the street, followed by a loud clang as Eldritch drove his "borrowed" car through a handful of drones. The Pro Hero already nearly upon his target, smirking as the bots were throne aside, "Ah, gotta love a good truck." He chuckled, the smoke and fires up ahead getting larger. He could see the silhouette of Godzillo through the smoke, as he smashed and battered his way through the warehouses just beyond the runway.

His path of destruction was moving however, with very few buildings still standing here he was moving into the commercial district a few blocks over.

"It looks like they have given him the attack order already." Eldritch surmised, unaware of the Heroes unwillingness in the situation, "Did one of the others get caught or is someone else fighting? Hmm, no time to worry about it." He turned down another street, putting himself on path with the monster, "Gotta get his attention and hold it."

He drove closer to the beast, but made sure he still had enough room. Before hitting the brakes, and blaring the horn.

It only took a few seconds, but Godzillo stopped in his tracks. Slowly turning around to look at the source of the noise, Eldritch quickly popped open the door and jumped free of the car. Just in time, as Godzillo opened wide and unleashed a blast of atomic blue fire that completely destroyed the vehicle. The Pro Hero smirked, "So I have your attention, good," His third eye opened, revealing the fleshy orange eyeball. "Just focus on me, big guy!"

The air around him started whistling, a sound like suction reverberating around him that slowly grew more high pitched and intense. Rising higher and louder until it sounded like some demented scream as his third eye lit up, "HAAAH!"

A blood red beam of light erupted from his third eye, striking Godzillo dead center of the chest. It only lasted a second, before Eldritch stopped the attack to see the damage. Unfortunately, he couldn't see any real damage on the enemies tough hide, "Well... Shit."

He used his tentacle arm to swing up onto a lamp post to avoid the atomic beam that tore through the street. The hero sweatdropping before leaping to the rooftop of a badly damaged building, "Alright, dodge game it is... I may have made some poor choices here..."

 **"HRAAAAAAH!"**

 **. . .**

"Hold it right there kid!" Midoriya froze in place alongside All Might, as Spitfire's voice echoed down the hall, "Where the fuck is Charm!?"

Midoriya swallowed nervously, speaking in a quiet tone, "Get Adachi through the door, I'll handle this..."

He nodded in response, "Be careful, young Midoriya." Fearing for his pupil but knowing he knew what he was doing.

"ANSWER ME!"

"She ran!" Midoriya shouted back, giving the majority of the load to All Might as he released Adachi, "Once she lost her puppet, she completely abandoned you!"

"Tch, that bitch," He grunted, "Well I'll deal with her later, bring me Nagato Kibari and nobody gets hurt! She has something I ain't leaving without!"

 _"There's about a hundred feet between us, I have to reach him before he can hit me with that blaster."_ He crouched slightly, analyzing his opponent, _"His aim should be a little off, considering the injuries he suffered earlier, if I'm careful... I can do this!"_ His body began to light up, "I'm not bringing you anyone!" Without waiting for the villain to respond, he broke into a dead sprint towards him.

"Gnngh! SHIT!" He raised his gun and began firing, filling the hallway with green lights as he tried to hit the boy. But Midoriya's movements were erratic and hard to follow, as his sprung between the wall, ceiling and floor in rapid succession while closing the distance. Just as it seemed like Midoriya was going to get him though, Spitefire's face changed from fear to a wicked smirk. "NOW!"

Midorya's eyes widened, as out of the corner of his eye he saw Firefly emerging from another doorway. She was holding up a different gun than the one she'd had earlier. And before Midoriya had time to react, she fired. Ensnaring him in the metal wire net, forcing him to hit the ground and tumble to a halt right by Spitfire's feet, "Gnngh! D-Dammit!"

"That's what you get for being overconfident, kid." Spitfire laughed, aiming his blaster at Midoriya's face, "Just like all the others with powerful Quirks, you underestimated us! Once I make it big in the underworld, NOBODY will underestimate me ever again!"

"What a stupid thing to strive for," Footsteps echoed down the hall behind Spitfire, "You sound more like a brat than a man, how pathetic... But what could you expect from a pitiful coward that turns traitor on Hero Society?"

The former hero turned his head slowly, glaring daggers through his visor at the green haired woman walking towards them, "Who the hell are you!?" He demanded, before gritting his teeth, "Actually, fuck it, I don't care." He aimed his blaster at her, as Firefly moved to his side, "You can die first for that, bitch!"

And they opened fire, but just as their shots left the barrel the woman's coat was lit up with jade green fire as her body changed. Scales and claws forming on her hands, horns growing from her head as well. And as the glowing green bolts hit her body they bounced away harmlessly, doing no more than singing her skin in a few places.

"Who am I?" She repeated, smirking wickedly and showing her sharp teeth, "Why, I'm just a housewife, and former criminal," She lunged at them, crossing the gap in a matter of seconds and taking them completely by surprise, "But today, I think I'll try putting on a different face..."

Midoriya's eyes widened, realizing that beneath that coat she was wearing the same costume he'd seen during their training at school!

"What the f- Nngh!" Spitfire gasped as she grabbed both him and Firefly by the neck lifting them right off the ground. She slammed them together hard, jarring their senses as their helmets banged against one another.

"Today," Her eyes flashed green, "Today I'm a _Hero_!" Spinning around she threw them each into different walls. The duo smashing into the surfaces and leaving sizeable dents, some of their equipment smashing and sparking.

"F-Fuck you!" Firefly tried to raise her net gun, but Shisui was on her in an instant. Grabbing her by the wrist and wrenching it hard to the left, making the bone snap without much effort, "AAAAGH!"

"Oh shut up," Shisui scoffed, before delivering a quick jab to her face. The blow knocked her out instantly, leaving Firefly to hit the ground unconscious.

 _"No! I am not going to prison!"_ Spitfire pulled himself free of the wall, breaking into a labored run, while desperately trying to activate his jetpack. _"Not like this! I'm better than this!"  
_

"Leaving your companion behind?" A chill ran down his spin, as Shisui sank her claws into the device on his back, "You really are low!" She twisted violently, ripping out all kinds of circuitry and gears before her other hand grabbed him by the back of his helmet. She turned, dragging him along with her, "YOU'RE LUCKY I DON'T JUST KILL YOUR ASS!"

"WAIT! NO!" Spitfire cried out like a child about to be punished, "I'M SORRY! I DON'T WANT TO BE A VILLAIN ANYMORE!"

Before his helmeted head was slammed into wall, burying him neck deep before Shisui pulled him out. She dropped him to the floor, where he remained unconscious just like his friend. The former villain sighed and shook her head, before she began making her way to Midoriya, "You alright kid?"

"Y-Yeah I'm fine, just help me out of this thing." He asked, still struggling against the net, "That was... Impressive, if a little brutal."

"Yeah well, first time being heroic I guess, sit still." She ordered, using her claws to slice through some of the wiring and free him, "Where's Adachi? I came to find him."

"Downstairs, come on I'll explain everything that's happened."

"Alright, but lets tie these two up first and smash all their toys."

 **. . .**

"Goro, Spitfire and Firefly aren't responding," Wolfram barked over his communicator, camera's following the larger man as he moved towards the medical center, "The power is out at the center so we can't see what's going on with the camera's, "And there are a couple more brats from UA heading that way, I want you to intercept them."

"Couple of kids? Heh, sure, so long as they put up a good fight." He answered with a laugh, "Just point me in their direction!"

"You're ahead of them now, make a left at the next street corner and wait at the intersection, they should run right into you." He explained, "Make sure they don't reach the medical center! I'll be sending some drones your way to help capture them."

"Bah, I don't need your stupid robots," He scoffed, picking up the pace as he licked his lips, "I can crush them all by myself!"

 **. . .**

"Just up the next street, we're almost there!" Kirishima called out, racing up the sidewalk alongside Ashido.

"I haven't seen anymore of those security drones, I think we're in the clear for now." She replied, keeping an eye out for any of those stupid high tech trashcans, "I hope Adachi is okay."

"He can take care of himself, I'm more worried about everyone else," The red head stated, "We still don't know how many other villains could be running around out here!"

"Hey wait! Stop!" Ashido slid to a halt, "Who's that?" Pointing to a lone figure in the road ahead.

He stood in the center of the intersection, a wicked grin spreading across his face, "Finally, I get to have some FUN!" His arms bulged suddenly, tearing through his coat as his skin darkened in color to a gross shade of purple.

Kirishima instantly went on guard, "Crap, this guy must be one of them!"

"And it sounds like he knows who we are!" Ashido added, realizing they would have to fight.

Goro's upper body grew in size, bulking up with massive muscle while his legs didn't change much. The fat mans body was now a disgusting mass of rippling muscles, "Hahahah! Alright kids! PLAY TIME!" Digging his big meaty fingers into the street, Goro flung himself forward with incredible force.

"MOVE!" The red haired hero hardened his body as fast as he could shoving Ashido out of the way before taking the full force of the human missile. The impact sent him flying, bouncing across the street.

"KIRISHIMA!" Ashido cried out, only for her eyes to widen as Goro turned on her next.

"I'd worry more about myself if I were you pinkie!" Reaching out with his massive arms, "You're about to get CRUSHED!"

But she wasn't going to hesitate here, her training kicking into overdrive. Ashido backflipped clear with her incredible athleticism, narrowly avoiding the massive hands slamming together, _"I've got to be careful, this guy is really trying to kill us!"_ Aiming her hands the way she'd been trained, Ashido unleashed a torrent of Acid that splashed against Goro's large arms.

"Aagh! You little bitch!" He hissed in pain, "That stings!" He was quickly trying to wipe it off, cringing as he did so.

"Well if you didn't like that you're gonna LOVE THIS!" Kirishima had recovered faster than the villain predicted, attacking with his might as he jumped and swung a hardened fist forward, "HAH!" Slamming Goro right in the mouth, the villain didn't budge much though the skin along his cheek was broken by Kirishima's sharp body.

"Grr! You brat! How are you still alive!?" He demanded, bringing both hands together around Kirishima attempting to crush him. But the young hero had hardened himself completely, transforming into Red Riot Unbreakable, "Dammit! A hardening Quirk?!"

"That's right!" Kirishima smirked, struggling to hold his ground as Goro tried to crush him, "Besides you're not even the hardest hitting villain I've ever fought! Rappa hit WAY harder than you!"

As Goro's temper rose, Ashido made her move. Sliding around behind him, she smirked and unleashed another acid spray against his exposed backside. The villain arched his back, eyes widening, "AAGH! Stop that!" He instantly shifted attention from Kirishima, spinning around to try and crush Ashido. But the moment Kirishima was free of his grip, the unbreakable hero went low and grabbed Goro by his smaller legs, "H-Hey! What are you doing!?"

"Taking you for a ride!" He shouted, gritting his teeth as he gripped hard and swung with all his might, "HAAAAAH!" Pulling Goro's legs out from under him, he turned and slammed the hefty villain through the storefront of a nearby building. As he crashed through the glass, various shelves and other storage containers collapsed on top of him.

"Nice work!" Ashido beamed, running up to him, "Come on, lets get to the medical center!"

"Right, we can worry about this guy once we regroup with Adachi." Kirishima nodded, the two continuing their run towards the medical building.

Goro groaned in annoyance, panting heavily as he started to push away the debris on top of him, "Those... Those stupid, little brats," He grumbled, gritting his teeth, "Fine, if that's how you want it..." He reached into his belt, digging around, "I wanted to save this for a big hero or something, but it should last long enough to beat down a few kids!"

He pulled out a small vial of green liquid, grinning wickedly as he popped off the top and poured it down his throat.

Conflicts were escalating across the island, and this day was far from over...


	65. Time For A Counterattack!

"Gnngh... Ugh, my jaw..." Adachi groaned, slowly opening his eyes. Sitting up and rubbing his mouth.

"Adachi!" Melissa yelped, moving to his side quickly, "You're okay? You aren't injured?"

"N-No just, sore," He replied, wincing as he forced himself up, "What hit me- Oh, right, Midoriya did." The boy chuckled lightly, "Where is he?"

"You're up!" Midoriya's voice cut in, as he appeared at the bottom of the stairs, rushing over quickly alongside Shisui, "I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah, thanks to you, and what are you doing here Mom?" Adachi questioned, looking between the two confused.

"I left your Father at the Hotel and came to help kick some ass," She answered, placing her hands on her hips, "Figured I'd give playing hero a try."

"She took out Spitfire and Firefly easily," Midoriya explained, laughing nervously, "It was actually pretty scary..."

"Where's Charm?" Adachi added quickly, not doubting his mother's combat abilities after seeing her in action himself.

"Ran for it once you were free," All Might stated, "Don't know where she went, so finding her to wake up Godzillo is out of the question."

"Damn," Adachi cursed, "Alright either way, we should get topside and figured out where we're going from here."

"Right," Midoriya nodded, "Lets go, we can decide once we assess the situation."

"Lucky for us your little fight knocked out the power so the cameras are offline," Shisui chimed in with a smirk, "They can't see us in here."

"Be careful you three," All Might reminded worriedly, "There's no telling what these villains might do to retaliate once they find out Spitfire and Firefly aren't reporting in."

"Yeah, we'll have to stay on our toes, lets go."

"By the way Midoriya," Adachi looked to him as they started moving towards the stars, "Sorry, for hurting you..."

"Hey, don't worry about." Midoriya assured with a smile, "It wasn't your fault, we've got bigger things to worry about."

"Right..."

 **. . .**

"Come on, get inside," Kirishima urged as they reached the doorway, "I don't wanna be out in the open longer than we-"

"HEEEY!" Both of them stopped, turning slowly at the warped voice.

"Wh-What is that!?" Ashido exclaimed, eyes wide with fear and disgust.

"Is that the same villain!?"

His body had bulked up completely, not just his upper half. He was disgustingly muscular, veins popping all across his frame. His skin was that same sickly purple tone, while he looked like he'd grown a few feet taller too! Every step he took left a print in the street, and his bloodshot eyes were locked directly onto the two of them.

"Aaaah, this is some of that goooood shit!" He grinned wickedly, as he flexed his muscles, some veins literally popping and releasing blood over his muscles, "I feel like a GOD! A titan of physical power!" He stopped, about a hundred feet from them before crouching down, "So... Let's try this again!"

The street behind him exploded as he launched, and Kirishima only just barely moved in time, "I WON'T LET YOU!"

The impact echoed like thunder, the shockwave throwing Mina back and closer to the doorway. This time Kirishima had dug in his foot and fully transformed in time. Despite Goro's monstrous strength, he didn't move.

"Gnngh!" However, the cracks and broken skin along his arms made it clear that his power was more than enough to chip away at Unbreakable, "Ashido! Get inside!"

"HAHAHAH!" Goro laughed, drawing back his fist before grabbing Kirishima with his other arm. Lifting him up into the air before dropping his hardened form, "Try to block THIS!" He started delivering vicious, high powered punches to him mid fall. Slamming him over and over before the final blow sent him crashing through a pillar outside the entrance.

His arms and torso were torn up pretty bad. As the redhead grunted in pain, struggling to get back up, "Kirishima!" Ashido cried out, before turning towards the door, "Somebody! HELP! Adachi! ANYONE!" She was panicking, knowing that if not even Kirishima could stop this brute, even Adachi would have trouble dealing with-

"Nobody is gonna save you now kid," Her entire body was overtaken by his shadow, as the disgustingly muscular titan loomed over her, drawing back his fist, "DIE!"

She brought up her arms in a futile attempt to defend herself. Forgetting all about her agility in her desperate state. But just as the fist came down, something else hit her from behind. Slamming into her before she had a chance to make out what it was, she was turned around. A loud crunch followed by a hiss of pain marked the impact of Goro's fist before the two were sent crashing through one of the hospital windows into the lobby.

Mina tumbled to a stop, jarred but uninjured as she sat up, "Ugh, wh-what was- Agh!" Her eyes widened, seeing the scaly boy nearby. One arm had been broken, based on the way it was bent at the elbow. And some glass riddled his scales from the window smash, "Y-You saved me, but I don't even know-"

"Heh, glad I got to you in time," The voice instantly made her realize who it was. As Adachi sat up slowly and rose to his feet, "Are you alright?"

"Adachi!? What happened to you!? You're taller now!" Ashido exclaimed, jumping up to her feet. "And... And muscles! A... A _lot_ more muscles..."

"No time to explain," He replied, wincing and twisting his arm back into proper position, "Nnngh! Ow, ow ow ow... Just, stay clear of the big guy."

"SMAAAAASH!" Followed by a thunderous crash from outside.

"I think we can take it from here."

Ashido blinked, "Wait, was that Midoriya!?"

"Yeah like I said I'll explain that later," Adachi laughed nervously, wincing as his bones popped back into place and slowly healed, "Just stay safe." Giving her a reassuring smile, before he turned and raced back out the door.

As he ran, Ashido watched him from behind, "Yeah... Go get him."

 **. . .**

The moment Adachi had taken the attack, Midoriya blasted out of the doorway as well going full speed, _"One For All, 50%!"_ Drawing back his protected arm, "SMAAAASH!"

"Gah!" Goro gasped out in pain, the blow to his jaw sending him sliding back on his heels, "Ugh, another brat, FINE BY ME!"

But before he could strike back, a wave of green flames splashed against him from the flank. Making him cry out in pain, "You're just a big dumb hulk, taking you down won't be so tough!" Shisui declared, smirking with excitement in her eyes.

"Kirishima are you alright?" Midoriya was kneeling beside him, having backed off so Shisui could use her fire.

"Ugh, did anyone get the number of that truck?" Clearly dazed, "Hang on, Midoriya?"

"Just get inside," He ordered, "One of the doctors down stairs can look at those wounds, we'll take it from here."

"Alright lets do this!" Adachi said as he stepped out through the doorway.

"Right!" Midoriya nodded, as Goro staggered back to try and get clear of Shisui's fire.

"You BITCH!" He slammed one foot into the ground, tearing up the earth and blowing away her flames with sheer force. But just as the fire disappeared, Adachi unleashed his own attack. The villain cried out in pain as the beam of fire hit him in the chest, scorching his skin and making him stagger back even further.

"Go now Midoriya!" Shisui ordered, racing towards Goro. The villain saw her coming as Adachi's attack ended, and threw a massive punch aiming to crush her. But she nimbly jumped over it, flipping through the air and landing on his arm before racing up the limb, "HAH!" Slashing at his face with her claws.

"AAAGH! AAAGH MY EYES!" He cried out, covering them as he stumbled away.

The moment his chest was unguarded again, Adachi unleashed another beam of fire. The villain was teetering, unable to focus and handle all the incoming attacks. His massive muscles making him too slow to react properly! And it gave Midoriya the exact opening he required, Goro only just barely had time to see him coming.

"Time to put this gauntlet to the test!" Midoriya clenched his fists tightly, _"One For All, 100%!"_ Goro raised one fist, swinging it to try and smashing Deku into the ground, "DETROOOOIT! SMAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"

The difference in their power was all too obvious, as the blow snapped Goro's arm back and sent him spiraling into a building across the street. The villain smashed into the second floor of the office, body going limp as debris buried him. Punctuating his defeat, he slowly started shrinking back down to normal size.

Midoriya panted lightly as he landed, looking at his hand, "The Gauntlet held up... Amazing." But he wasn't exactly sure how much it could take, he'd have to be careful not to use it carelessly lest he risk his arms.

"Nice work," Adachi nodded, wiping his mouth as steam vented out of it. His body felt hot and vitalized after releasing so much fire, "That's what, three villains confirmed down? How many more can their possibly be?"

With the fighting over, Ashido stormed out of the building, "Okay so, Midoriya is here for some reason, Adachi transformed again, villains are everywhere, and you've already fought 3 of them!? Can you please give us the details now!?"

"Heheh, right yeah..." Adachi laughed nervously, "Why don't we step back inside?"

 **. . .**

"Goro is down."

"I CAN SEE THAT!" Wolfram snapped at Shin, ready to blow a gasket as he watched the camera's, _"This is bad, really bad... We never expected that a couple of kids would be so-"_

"Someone has reached the entrance." Shin interrupted his thoughts, bringing up a different screen, "It appears Endeavor has arrived..."

Wolfram clenched his fists tightly, "Of course he has... God dammit, alright lock down the entrances," He ordered, bringing a hand to his communicator, "Eyes up boys, we've got a Hero outside, its Endeavor so stay on your toes and if he breaks in shoot to kill."

"Yes sir."

 **. . .**

"Hmm, no one watching the door." Endeavor noted, narrowing his eyes as he reached out for the handle.

An alarm suddenly blared, the hero jumping back out of reaction as heavy metal plating closed down over the main doorway and windows around it. It seemed the villains inside had spotted him, not surprising considering he literally tried walking through the front door. But Endeavor wasn't planning on being deterred by a little steel plating.

Raising one hand, Endeavor unleashed his fire. Splashing against the metal and starting to rapidly heat it up, turning it read hot in seconds. "Shouldn't take much to put a hole in this." He smirked, before a new sound caught his attention.

They sounded like sirens, and as Endeavor turned his head he spotted no less than two dozen of those stupid drones racing around the corner. Responding to the buildings security systems. They were moving towards him fast, forcing Endeavor to shift his aim. Instead spraying them down with intense fire, only for them to respond by releasing extinguishing fluids that splashed against his flames creating a thick veil of steam between them.

"Dammit!" Endeavor jumped back as capture cables fired off through the fog nearly catching him, "At this rate..."

They were forming up between him and the door, extinguishing fluid and fire resistant bodies would make his flames nearly useless. And physical attacks were out of the question with those cables, _"You'd better get that signal jammed fast, Anthem!"_

 **. . .**

"And that's everything that's happened here so far," Adachi finished up, leaning against the wall of the lobby, "I'm glad you guys made it here okay, mostly."

Ashido nodded, "Yeah, I hope Kirishima's alright though..."

"He'll be fine," Shisui chimed in as she entered the room, "Docs are looking him over down stairs, but he's not going anywhere now."

"That's too bad, we could have used him," Midoriya frowned, bringing a hand up to his chin, "We need to think about where we go from here."

"We know the villains are at the control tower," Adachi replied, before shaking his head, "However, we can't ignore Godzillo either, its obvious that Charm must still be controlling him, so we need to wake him up before he does something worse than smashing a few empty buildings."

"Well what can we do?" Ashido asked nervously, looking between them, "Track down Charm and force her to release him?"

"No, in a city this big trying to find someone so fast would waste too much time," Midoriya admitted begrudgingly, "Which means, we'll have to knock out Godzillo." He stated, holding up his gauntlet protected hand, "Melissa said I should be able get a few full power punches out of this before it breaks down, using 100% of my power might be enough to take him down."

"Yeah, been thinking about that," Adachi pushed off the wall, scratching the back of his neck, "I think you need to save those punches."

"For what?" Midoriya looked at him confused.

"For whoever is in charge of this whole mess," Adachi explained, "There's no guarantee that your Smash will even knock Godzillo out, so save them."

"Then what do we do about him?" Midoriya demanded, having a bad feeling about where this was going.

"I'll take care of it," He smirked, confirming Midoriya's fears, "I mean I'm already so much stronger since changing, who knows how much more powerful I'll be when I go Kaiju."

Shisui quirked an eyebrow, "Sounds almost like you're more interested in a test run than actually beating the bad guys."

Adachi laughed nervously at that, "Hey I can do both!"

"I don't like it."

Adachi looked back towards his friend, "Midoriya?"

"Godzillo has a really powerful Quirk," Deku stated factually, "He specializes in fighting giant monsters, there's no way you beat him at his own game alone."

"He's right," Ashido added with a nod, "Its too dangerous."

Adachi drew in a deep breath and sighed heavily, "Look... I know you're probably right, but what choice do we have?" He questioned, looking between them, "Godzillo's rampage is gonna reach the shelters eventually, we can't just let it be... Even if all I do is slow him down I-"

"Then lets go together!" Midoriya urged, stepping towards him, "Rather than divide our forces, lets take him down and head for the bad guys afterwards!"

"Yeah, you can't possible ask us to let you do this Adachi." Ashido pressed, reaching out for his hand, "Listen to Midoriya."

Adachi lowered his eyes briefly, shaking his head, "I'm not asking."

Without giving them a chance to argue, the blue scaled boy ran out the door. Midoriya reached out, trying to stop him. "Adachi!"

"Get to the tower!" He shouted back, already making it to the street, "Don't let the villains get away with this!"

The moment he was in the open, Adachi unleashed his power. Amping it up to the max, he began to transform.

 **. . .**

"ShhiiiIIIT!" Eldritch's voice carried as he leapt to another rooftop, atomic fire blasting the one he'd been on prior. The young hero stumbled as he landed, gasping for breath. All around him it was fire and destruction, Godzillo's rampage having leveled most of the surrounding area.

The beast was relentless, and never seemed to tire in his current state. Ever since his arrival, Eldritch had been pushing himself just to keep the hero focused on himself. But time was running out for him as well, the air was thick and hot from the fire and smoke. He needed a change in scenery or he'd be collapsing from the intense flames before anything else.

Looking around quickly, he spotted another area that hadn't been completely set ablaze, "The fairgrounds!" He decided, lashing out with his tentacle arm to a billboard before swinging down to street level, "COME ON YOU BIG BASTARD!" He shouted, turning his head to fire another eldritch beam back at him. Just as before, it harmlessly splashed against his scales doing little more than scorching the surface.

Turning focus forward, he continued sprinting towards the fairground. This time of year it was abandoned do to all the snow, he just hoped nobody left their cars in the nearby parking structure...

 **"HRAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"** Eldritch's head whipped around, "What!?" Hearing the direction of the roar from further away, "Is there another one!?"

 **"GRAAAAAH!"** The street behind him light up, Godzillo firing off another beam of atomic fire. It struck just behind the distracted hero, causing a large explosion of fire and smoke.

"Aaaagh!" Eldritch cried out as he was hit by the blast, the force carrying him through the fence surrounding the fairgrounds entrance smashing him to the other side. The young hero tumbled to a halt, battered body struggling to rise, "D-Dammit... I can't believe I let myself get distracted..."

Godzillo lumbered closer, eyes locked onto the hero before a large shadow swept by overhead drawing his attention, **"Hrrrr..."** His low growling resounding through the quiet streets along with the crackling of fire.

Eldritch's eyes widened, following Godzillo's gaze as he looked towards the sky, "Holy shit..."

The earth trembled as he touched down, claws tearing into the already ruined street. He stood nearly eye to eye with Godzillo, but his form was very different. Similar to his original monster form, larger upper body and arms. However, the way he stood made it clear he could likely run on all fours as well as be bipedal. Covered in those same new black scales, with feathers running down his back all the way to the end of his tail. Most notable of all however, were the large wings jutting out of his back, folding behind him as he steadied himself.

"Is that... Adachi!?" Eldritch exclaimed.

 **"I don't know if you can hear me Godzillo..."** He rumbled out, clenching his fists tightly, **"But your rampage ends NOW!"**

* * *

 **Giant Monster Battle time! Hope everyone is excited XD**

 **For reference, I based Adachi's new form's proportions and whatnot off of both the Daedric Titan and Daedroth from ESO if you'd like a frame of reference for his general shape. Just a lot less pointy lol**


	66. Giant Monster Battle GO!

**GIANT MONSTA BATTLE TIME!**

* * *

 **A Few Minutes Earlier...**

"Is the room ready yet?" Anthem questioned, walking alongside the woman currently in charge of the station. She'd arrived without issue a short while ago, but things still weren't ready, "The others are likely engaged with the enemy right now, we can't waste any time!"

"I'm well aware," The dark skinned woman replied quickly, "We're still working on getting the emergency generators up and running, but it shouldn't take too long, just be ready." She pulled out her phone as they went, quickly tapping away at a keyboard.

"Is this really the time to be texting?" Anthem questioned with a scoff.

"I've been in contact with friends in hiding at other locations throughout the city," She explained, never looking away from her screen, "I got word through someone at the hospital that another group of heroes is fighting as well so I'm letting them know about you and Endeavor, so they know where to go."

"More heroes? That's perfect!" Anthem beamed, grinning brightly, "At this rate we'll have those villains taken down in no time!"

"We can only hope..."

 **. . .**

"Adachi stop!" Midoriya shouted, racing outside behind him, along with Mina and Shisui.

"Whoa..." Ashido muttered in awe, just catching him as he lifted off the ground with a thunderous roar, flying off towards the smoke in the distance, "He got... Bigger."

"Stupid kid," Shisui clenched her fist, "He's gonna get himself killed, he's not used to that body at all yet!"

"You're wrong!" All three of them looked back to see Nagato standing in the doorway, "Sorry, I was listening in... And I have to say, you're wrong about Adachi."

"Nagato, what do you mean?" Ashido asked confused, "If he only just got this power-"

"No, he's had this power," She corrected quickly, "He's been sitting on it since the first time he ever transformed, every mutation he's gone through and every injury he's recovered from have strengthened his body." She explained quickly, "He may not be in perfect condition, but his body is ready for this power."

Midoriya narrowed his eyes for a moment, "Even so, he can't fight Godzillo alone, I'm going after him!"

"Midoriya wait!" Shisui grabbed him by the shoulder, "What about the villains at the control tower?"

"Hang on," Nagato interrupted once more, "One of the doctors got a message from someone at the broadcasting station, a few other heroes have shown up and are fighting already." She explained, "One of them went after Godzillo, and Endeavor is probably at the control tower by now."

"Endeavor's here? That's great!" Mina beamed, "With him fighting, I'm sure everything will be okay!"

"Maybe, but he could still use back up," Midoriya replied, nodding his head, "I'm going after Adachi, I'm sure a full powered smash can knock out Godzillo, and once we're finished I'll meet you at the tower." He said directly to Shisui.

Her eyes narrowed sharply, "You want me to go help Endeavor?" She asked with a scoff, "You must be joking."

But Midoriya didn't back down, "I'm sorry, I can't imagine what it feels like after your history with him... But now isn't the time to be petty, like it or not he's fighting right now just like Adachi is, and he might need the back up."

"I'll stay here and protect the doctors," Ashido chimed in before Shisui could bark back, "In case any more villains show up, if Kirishima recovers I'll send him to the tower."

"Good thinking Ashido," Deku nodded, "I've gotta get my gear, I can't risk breaking more bones if this bracer gives out, but afterwards I'm heading for Adachi... Good luck everyone!" Before he took off running, activating One For All and picking up speed, _"I hope you can hold your own against him for a little while, Adachi..."_

 **. . .**

Adachi was staring across the way at his foe, his glowing eyes burning into him. Each of the giant beasts waiting for the other to make a move, Adachi sizing up his opponent with apprehension and excitement. He was a huge fan of Godzillo, and knowing he was being used as someones puppet angered him immensely, those feelings only amplified by the bestial urges coursing through him in this form.

Adachi remembered what it felt like, being trapped and forced to watch as he attacked Midoriya. Watching him harm his friend, the apprentice to the Number One Hero. If just doing that had made him so mad, he couldn't even imagine what Godzillo was going through right now. After causing so much destruction, maybe even hurting or killing people.

His tail slammed into the street behind him, cracking the asphalt. Any restraint he might have had was dropped in an instant, **"HRAAAH!"** He roared, charging forward.

Godzillo opened his maw wide, unleashing that blue steam of atomic fire at his charging foe. Eldritch's eyes widened as he watched from below, "This is gonna be so cool..."

The intense flames splashed against Adachi's scales, not slowing him down in the least but burning against him. He powered through and swung one massive fist towards Godzillo's face, smashing him under the chin and making his head snap upward. The beam firing into the sky and cutting through the clouds while Adachi pressed his attack. Roaring as he went low and drove his shoulder into Godzillo's stomach, attempting to knock him down.

But the mind controlled Hero was more bottom heavy than Adachi realized, and after digging in his claws to the street Godzillo grabbed Adachi by his wings. With a mighty roar, he pulled Adachi away and threw him into one of the nearby rides that had been shut down. The winged monster smashing into the metal framework of the roller coaster. It hurt, but Adachi could take it, his thick hide absorbing much of the impact.

Practically jumping back up, he met Godzillo head on. Their hands locking as each tried to grapple the other, snarling and roaring in each others faces. Adachi strained his muscles, putting every bit of power he had into pushing the Hero back. But he was strong, incredibly strong, and far more willing to deal serious damage.

The boys eyes widened, as Godzillo opened his maw and unleashed another atomic breath. At this range Adachi was forced to take the brunt of it, his grip loosening enough for Godzillo to let go. The moment he did so however, Adachi dove towards the flank. Crouching low to evade the beam as Godzillo swung his head around to try and keep it on him. Just as the beam passed over his head, Adachi dug his claws into the earth, **"HRAAAAH!"** Tearing up a massive chunk of concrete, he swung as hard as he could. Aiming for Godzillo's face to try and knock him out once again.

Unfortunately the possessed Hero was ready for him. Swinging around his massive tail, he caught Adachi in the ribs with bone breaking force. Taking the young Hero right off his feet and smashing him into the wall of the nearby parking structure. As the stonework around him crackled, Adachi retaliated with monstrous fury. Grabbing Godzillo by the tail, he pulled hard and sprung back into action.

Rather than trying to pull his foe closer, Adachi used Godzillo's weighted lower half as and anchor. Springing free of the now damaged parking structure, spreading his wings and leaping for him. Cocking back one fist, he slammed Godzillo across the back of his head. Feet hitting the street as he passed by, turning on his heels to face him just in time for the Hero to charged into him full force.

Not at all deterred by the blow to his head, Godzillo roared and drove Adachi back. One hand on his throat and the other digging claws into his stomach, just piercing enough to draw blood through the scales. Adachi had to dig in his heels, one hand going to each of Godzillo's wrists to try and wrench away his grip. Even with all his strength he found himself sliding back across the ground, getting closer to the burning buildings left behind beyond the fairgrounds fence.

 _"Dammit he's strong!"_ Adachi was gritting his teeth, snarling and struggling against the Pro Hero, _"And nothing I do is knocking any sense into him!"_

 **"Hrrngh!"** Godzillo winced suddenly, as a beam of light struck him in the side. His eyes darting towards the source, spotting Eldritch near the fairground fence.

It was just enough of an opening, Adachi managed to get his grip loosened during that minor distraction and dig in his claws to the earth. He felt a heat rising inside of him with a surge of energy. Using all his might, Adachi started to pull Godzillo forward. Rolling with it, he lifted the hero right off his feet! Spinning around, he let go and threw him through a number of burning buildings up the ruined street. Bringing down plenty of rubble right on top of him.

As soon as it was over, Adachi winced in pain, panting heavily, _"Think I might have over done it with that one..."_ He thought, clenching his shaking fists.

"Nice work kid!" Adachi's head shifted to the hero that had aided him, the man from the party was giving him a thumbs up, "Good thing too, I don't know how many more those I've got in me!"

Before Adachi could respond however, the rubble began to shift. Ahead of them, rising from the ashes and destroyed buildings, Godzillo stood tall. His eyes burning into Adachi, **"Crap..."** Adachi grunted, swallowing nervously.

Godzillo drew in a mighty breath before throwing his head back, **"HRAAAAAAAAAH!"**

Eldritch paled slightly as the sound echoed throughout the area, "Well... He's pissed, you got this one?" He asked, looking back to Adachi.

The boy could see the spikes along Godzillo's back were lighting up. Narrowing his eyes, Adachi nodded, **"Yeah... I think so."** Spaces between his scales were lighting up, the feathers along his back starting to glow as he inhaled deeply.

Eldritch realized what was about to happen and started moving to cover, "Shit shit SHIT!"

Each massive monster fired off their beams of concentrated fire. Suppressing all other lights and colors with shades of blue before they met in the center. Flashing lights and molten heat around the center causing nearby metal and stonework, whether it be lamp posts or cars or ruined walls, to melt. It continued for a few seconds, before the sheer magnitude of their power was too much. Rather than either side giving way, a thunderous explosion shook the area. Smoke billowing sky high with a mighty shock wave blowing out nearby windows and toppling the few lamp posts that remained standing.

Eldritch was bracing himself behind a concrete road divider when the blast hit. The earth trembling, he risked a peak over the top to see what was happening but it was still too hard to see through all the smoke. He swallowed dryly, the shape of each monstrous hero starting to become clear through the smoke. Neither side looking like they had taken any significant amount of damage.

 _"This kid is something else."_ The Pro Hero thought with a faint smirk, watching as the two squared up for another round, "Here's hoping you can keep it up, and don't level the entire island in the process..."

 **. . .**

"You can't be serious, that brat is holding his own against Godzillo!?" Wolfram watched the screens in disbelief, watching as the giants clashed. "Suru! What's your status? Have you secured our ride out of here?"

"All set over here boss, you'd better hurry up though our window is closing." She replied over her communicator.

"We've got what we came for," Wolfram nodded, looking to Shin, "Lets go, we'll get the men together and kill Endeavor on our way out." He smirked wickedly in afterthought, "That should net us a good bonus..."

"I'll alert the teams below," He replied through the mechanical filter of his helmet. Detaching himself from the computers, "Switching system controls to remote, assuming no one gets in and shuts us out I'll maintain control over the security systems."

"Good," Wolfram smirked as he carried the case holding their objective towards the exit, "Lets get the hell off this island."

 **. . .**

The earth trembled as they collided, claws and fangs attempted to tear into one another. Godzillo and Adachi were fighting like beasts, tumbling across the ground and rolling through one of the few buildings that remained standing in their immediate area. The two struggling to gain the upper hand before Adachi managed to get his feet between them. Driving into Godzillo with a double kick right to the gut, he threw the monster back giving himself some breathing room.

Shaking off the rubble, Adachi pushed himself back to his feet panting heavily, _"This is ridiculous, he just won't stay down!"_ He thought, keeping his eyes on the Pro Hero as he forced himself up, _"His body just keeps fighting, he must be exhausted too right?... Damn Charm and her Quirk."_

"Adachi!" The voice of Eldritch cut in, the battered hero holding position near cover further back, "You've gotta keep this fight contained! Saving the island won't matter if its completely destroyed!"

 **"Grrr... I know that!"** He growled back, rolling his shoulders, **"Tell that to him..."** Stretching his wings out, the boy came up with a new plan, _"Lets see if I can't put these wings to use!"_ With a few heavy wing beats, Adachi began his ascension.

Godzillo roared at him in anger, as Adachi started to circle the area. Doing his best to pick up speed with every flap of his mighty wings. The moment an opening presented itself, he went in. Using all his momentum, he slammed a flying knee into Godzillo's jaw. The blow seemed to stagger him, the giant stumbling a bit before trying to reach out and grab Adachi.

 _"I'm too fast for him!"_ Adachi smirked internally, noting that his last blow seemed to actually get some results, _"Alright, lets try that again!"_

Circling back around, winds billowing as he flew over, he swooped in for another attack. This time Godzillo was on the defensive, bringing up his arms to defend his face and head. The blow hit his guard, and Adachi could have sworn he felt bones giving way. If he just kept this up and stayed out of his range this wouldn't last much longer!

 **"HRAAAH!"** Godzillo unleashed a furious roar, unable to catching Adachi as he went back to circling. The spines along his back started to light up, choosing a different approach. After inhaling deeply, Godzillo fired off his atomic breath trying to blast Adachi right out of the sky.

But this just left Godzillo open, Adachi barrel rolled around the beam and raced in for another attack. Closing the distance between them, cocking back his fist for another strike.

When Eldritch's voice cut through the wind billowing in Adachi's ears, "WATCH OUT FOR HIS TAIL!"

Blinded by the light from his atomic breath at this range, and going far too fast to stop, Adachi hadn't even noticed Godzillo shifting his footing. Taking one step into it and swinging his lower end around. That massive, powerful tail hit Adachi with earth shaking power. Coupled with his own speed, the boy could feel his ribs giving way to the impact as he was thrown back.

As if all his forward momentum had been redirected by Godzillo using his most deadly physical weapon. Adachi was sent smashing into the still intact Ferris Wheel within the ruined fairgrounds.

"Adachi!" Eldritch shouted, trying to chase after him but it was slow going in his own wounded state.

The boy winced as he tried to move, cringing and hissing as he felt searing pain shoot through his wings. A brief glance back told him why, much of the webbing was torn and along with much of his back they were lodged into the metal rods and braces that made up the giant carnival ride. Pulling himself free would be hard, but if he just had a few minutes he could-

 **"HRAAAAH!"** A beam of atomic fire splashed against his form, making him reel back against his steel shackles. Godzillo didn't let up on the attack, even as he lumbered closer he continued searing Adachi's torso with the intense ray of heat.

"No!" Eldritch's eyes widened, watching Adachi thrashing about and trying to break free while also defending himself. He was getting desperate as the boys movements began to slow down, fearing what might happen if this went on for too long, "Stop! Fight me you big bastard!" He shouted, his third eye glowing for a moment. Charging up and preparing to fire before Eldritch cried out in pain, falling to his knees as the center eye began bleeding, "Dammit!"

His eyes darted back up to the horrifying display being put on before him. But just as he was about to cry out once more, he spotted something small dashing across the battlefield. Right below Godzillo's raw atomic fire, sparks of green light bursting off his costumed form. Eldritch's eyes lit up, watching as he began to scale Godzillo's body from below with mighty leaps.

"Detroooooit!" Godzillo only heard him when it was too late, "SMAAAAAAAASH!"

An explosion of force erupted just under the pro hero's jaw. Making his head snap back and mouth shut in an instant, an explosion following within his maw as his atomic breath was contained so abruptly. As Midoriya fell back towards the earth below, Godzillo took two heavy steps back before falling over on his side. The ground itself shaking, dust kicked up and spread across the area.

Rolling across the ground on impact, Midoriya was panting heavily, "Made it... Just in time..." Before looking up to Adachi, "Hey! Adachi!" He called out, wasting no time in rushing to his aide. Jumping up onto the ruined Ferris Wheel to check on his condition, "You still with me?"

 **"Hrrngh... Ow..."** Adachi groaned, wincing in pain as he looked down at the burns covering his scales, **"I really hope that doesn't scar..."**

Midorya sighed in relief, taking a seat on one of the braces to catch his breath. Having practically sprinted all the way here from the hotel, "Well at least you're alive."

 **"For now at least."** He grunted, narrowing his eyes as the beast before them shifted, **"You didn't hold back right?"**

Deku's eyes widened in fear as Godzillo began to stir, "You can't be serious! I just hit him with everything I had!"

 **"I hope that bracer isn't broken yet..."**


	67. Accentier! The Ultimate Finish!

**It may go without saying, buuut because I'm a huge dork that had too much silly fun writing this arc, I'll just mention that you're gonna need that theme song I mentioned earlier cued up XD**

 **Accentier By Eir Aoi, easily findable on youtube.**

* * *

"Alright, its all good to go," The station director explained through her headset, watching Anthem as she stood before all the sound equipment, "We'll begin the broadcast when you're ready." She added quickly, everyone around her watching and hoping this worked, "Remember, it'll have to be a powerful combination of sounds if you want it to disrupt their command signals!"

She nodded, giving her a thumbs up before drawing in a deep breath, "Alright, lets do this!" Bringing up her hands, her hair began to glow and change colors. Flickering through various forms of neon blue and purple. Her eyes were lighting up, the air around her humming with small vibrations.

Eir Aoi, Hero Name: Anthem.

Quirk, Sound Mixer: She is capable of recording and recreating any sound she's heard as long as she understands the rhythmic make up and sound structure, she can also bend and manipulate sounds she has "recorded".

A smile flashed across her lips, small neon blue and purple lights began to flash around her. Pulsing as if they were following some kind of beat, "I was hoping to save this for my next concert, but this will make for a fine debut~! Time to light it up with Accentier!"

 **. . .**

"Yeah the bracer is still holding up," Midoriya replied quickly, clenching his fists, "But that punch wasn't enough to put him down either!"

 **"Grr..."** Adachi groaned, gritting his teeth as he started to pull himself free. Wincing in pain from his scorched chest, **"Get on my back, and hold on... I've got a really bad idea... I know I said we should save it for the big bad guy but, at this point we don't have any other choice."** He didn't understand why, but the intense heat Godzillo had burned him with left him feeling wide awake, energized. Like he'd gotten a second wind, his stamina had returned in full.

Deku nodded quickly, leaping up onto his shoulder, "I agree, so what's your plan?"

Eldritch watched from the grounds below, swallowing nervously, "What the hell is it gonna take to put this big bastard down?" He muttered, before a high pitched ringing sounded across the area. Looking around confused as it faded, he went wide eyed realizing it was the PA system turning on! "Well its about damn time!"

 **"Lets GOOOOO!"** Adachi roared, breaking into a mad dash for Godzillo as the music began, echoing across the ruined battlefield.

 **"HRAAAAAH!"**

 **"Nani mo kanjite nai furi de kimi wa kyou mo yari sugosu!"**

 **"Yasashiku sare chattara tate naku naru kara!"**

The earth shook as they made impacted, Anthem's voice echoing through the PA system while they were struggling against one another. Adachi began digging in his claws before he smirked, **"NOW!"**

Leaping out from behind his head, Midoriya swung with his protected arm, "A 70% Detroit SMASH!" Striking Godzillo right between the eyes, it wasn't enough to stagger him like before but the beast certainly felt it. His grip loosening just enough for Adachi to gain some ground as Midoriya landed on his back once more.

 **"That's it!"**

 **"Yari naoshite mitai kako to wasure satte shimau hikari!"**

 **"Dochira ga daiji ka nante wakaranai yo ne!"**

Godzillo was starting to give up ground, Adchi driving him back with every ounce of strength he had. Carrying the possessed Hero back further and further before they crashed through the damaged wall of the parking structure nearby. Concrete rained down from above, dust and debris smashing against both their scaly hides. Adachi put his monstrous strength to use, digging in his claws and ducking low, he started to lift Godzillo right off his feet!

 **"Kibou ya ai no uta ga afureteru riyuu wa!"**

 **"HANG ON MIDORIYA!"**

 **"Sore o mitai to minna ga negatte iru kara!"**

Grabbing a hold of his feathers, Deku braced himself. Feeling his stomach lurch as Adachi jumped straight upwards. Smashing Godzillo through whatever remained of the floors above, before spreading his wings the moment they were clear and taking off into the sky. Anthem's song hitting a crescendo as dust and debris exploded into the sky with them.

 **"Ima kimi wo mitsumete iru ACCENTIER!"**

 **"Sono kokoro ga kowarete shima wa nai you ni!"**

Eldritch watched in awe, eyes gleaming like a child. He felt a rush of excitement coursing through him, "YEAAAAAH!" The music only adding to the performance. They were flying higher and higher, Adachi straining himself and his wings to the absolute limit.

 **"Soshite kimi wo dakishimeru ACCENTIER!"**

 **"Tori dashita no wa chiisana okuri mono!"**

As the music played on, Adachi could feel that he was losing steam. Godzillo's thrashing and flailing becoming too much for his body to bare, and just before his wings could give out he released the beast! Pushing away from Godzillo to let him fall to the earth, **"NOW!"** Reaching up, Midoriya jumped into Adachi's hand, _"I'd better not miss!"_ Before he threw Midoriya as hard as he could, aiming directly for Godzillo's head as he plummeted towards the ground.

Wind whistling in his ears, arm cocked back as he began powering up his Quirk. Closing the distance with his target in seconds, "One For All! 100%!" He shouted into the sky, a grin forming across his lips as he felt that same rush of excitement, "KAIJUUUUU! SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"

Laying into Godzillo's jaw with all his might, the very clouds around them were blown away by the force unleashed, clearing the sky and letting the sun through. Pieces of red material flying into the wind as his reinforcing bracer crumbled. The power of his blow increasing the speed of Godzillo's descent tenfold, as he was sent smashing through what little remained of the parking structure. An earth shattering crash resounded throughout the area, cracks forming in the earth, bits of street being nearly uprooted, and dust billowing out in all directions.

Midoriya only had a moment to admire his work, before Adachi's massive hand snatched him out of the air to save him from the fall as well. Though his wings were absolutely exhausted, he had enough strength left to slow their descent at least a little bit. Rolling into it, Adachi took the brunt of the impact as they crashed into the ruined fairground below, tumbling to a stop near the fence and leaving behind a sizeable tear in the earth.

Spreading his arms wide, Adachi released Midoriya as he laid back panting heavily. He was slowly starting to shrink back to normal size, deciding at this point that if that hadn't done it they might as well run. While Deku watched the rubble where Godzillo was partially buried, his lower half totally hidden by a layer of debris. He held his breath for a few moments, silently praying that he was finally down.

"I think... We got him..." Adachi panted, wincing in pain as he sat up, "How's your bracer?"

Midoriya sighed lightly in relief, before holding up his bare arm, "Completely destroyed, I hope Melissa isn't too upset." He chuckled lightly.

Adachi waved him off, "Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine... Man that was awesome." He couldn't help but flash a toothy grin, "I mean, I can't believe that worked!"

Deku nodded with a small, relieved smile, "Yeah, that was a good plan, using his own weight and my power to maximize the amount of force we could apply, I didn't realize you were that good of a strategist."

Adachi released a snort of laughter, "Oh please Midoriya, the only thing I planned on was hitting him really really hard!"

Midoriya laughed as well, taking a seat on the ground, "Well it worked out either way, after a short rest we should head for the tower."

"Good idea," Adachi nodded, before smirking, "By the way... Kaiju Smash?"

Making Midoriya blush with embarrassment, "W-Well I just figured... It was your plan, and it was a combo attack so..."

"Never change, Midoriya," Adachi laughed, laying back against the stone as he stared up at the clear skies overhead, "Never change..."

One more threat out of the way, as the music continued playing around them, slowly starting to fade out, both young Heroes could only hope Endeavor was having as much success...

 **. . .**

"For the last time Shin kill this damn music!"

"We have a problem." Shin noted, as the security shutters began to raise.

"What are you doing?" Wolfram demanded, the armed men around them looking at him confused, "Why are you opening the shutters!?"

"I am not." He answered calmly, "It appears this music is creating interference, I've lost connection to the system."

"WHAT?!"

"INCOMING!" One of the men shouted, before an explosive wave of flames tore through the windows and front entrance. The villains were thrown back, tumbling across the lobby floor.

The heavy footsteps of the new Number One Hero echoed throughout the room as he stepped inside, "What an unfortunate time to try and make a run for it, or was this your attempt to bring me down when your drones couldn't finish me off?" He asked with a faint smirk, "Either way, this little raid or yours is over!"

Wolfram's head whipped around as he sat up, looking to the hired guns. All of them were either unconscious or writhing in pain from the burns he'd given them. Gritting his teeth, the leading villain narrowed his eyes at Endeavor, "You think its over? Ha!" He spat harshly, carefully placing his hands on the floor behind him, "I don't need a bunch of dipshits with guns to get past YOU!"

The ground between them erupted, pipes and wiring shooting out at the Pro Hero attempting to ensnare him. Endeavor backpedaled towards the entrance, narrowly avoiding the attack, _"Is this some form of kinesis or is he controlling the metal?"_ Trying to figure out his Quirk as quickly as possible.

Once enough ground was cleared, he aimed both hands forward, "Well lets see if you still say that after this!" Unleashing a blazing torrent of flames, the fires coursing through the pipes and wires racing towards Wolfram.

But the attack never hit its mark, as the mechanical suited Shin got in the way. "Heat resistance well within acceptable parameters," He said calmly, the fire doing nothing more than scorching the surface of his armor, "Activating fire suppressant systems." His arm shifted into a cannon, unloading a torrent of foamy spray that quickly started snuffing out Endeavor's flames forcing the hero to retreat even further lest he be covered in it as well.

"What the hell is this gunk?" He demanded, anger growing at the ineffectiveness of his attacks.

"My own personal fire suppressant," Shin stated simply, walking forward as Wolfram got up, "Moisture to dowse the flames, coupled with oxygen absorbent molecular structure it uses to become foamy makes it excellent at preventing more fire from being made."

Endeavor narrowed his eyes sharply, _"If he hits me with that..."_ Raising both hands, Endeavor decided it was time to turn up the heat. Cranking up his power, he unleashed a dual Jet Burn attack, "I'm going to cook you inside that armor villain!"

"We'll see about that!" Shin unleashed his foam once again, attempting to halt the attack. However, Endeavor's fire was much stronger this time and burned right through his fire suppressants.

The small victory was short lived however, as the earth beneath Endeavor's feet erupted! Metal tearing up through the asphalt beneath him and knocking Endeavor sky high, "Gah! Wh-What the hell!?" He exclaimed, flipping up through the air.

Wolfram had a wicked grin on his face, skin turning a darker shade as his eyes glowed. A strange device attached to the top of his head, looking like some kind of high tech crown, "You know I didn't believe this thing would actually work but I can FEEL the power coursing through me!" He laughed, raising his hands as the retracted metal shutters around the building began to reshape into jagged spikes, "Now DIE ENDEAVOR!"

The Number One Hero was trying to correct himself, shooting fire from his hands and feet to level out. Eyes widening as he saw the villains Quirk in action, outputting far more power than he'd used before. And with the speed those spikes were shooting at him, there was no time t-

"HYAAH!"

 ***THUD***

"GAH!" Endeavor cried out in pain as a heavy handed punch struck him right in the jaw. The blow carrying incredible forcing and sending him crashing to the ground below, the figure that had punched him falling as well with a hiss of pain. The two hit the ground and tumbled, Endeavor quickly looking towards the costumed woman that struck him. Not sure yet if she were a villain or another Hero, but that dragon skull mask was definitely not something he'd seen before, "What the hell was that for!?" He barked, rubbing his cheek as blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

"I just saved your ass," Shisui barked back, rising to her feet before wincing in pain. Gripping her left arm, blood running down it from where the spikes had grazed her, "Now shut up and stand! We aren't done!"

"You don't give me orders!" He shot back as he stood up, "Who the hell are you anyways?! I don't recognize you, but you're definitely from Japan right?"

"Tch, don't worry about that right now," She scoffed, narrowing her glowing eyes under the mask, "Just focus on the enemy in front of us..." In hindsight, Shisui was glad she decided to bring the mask as well, rather than have to worry about Endeavor questioning her motives or being distracted. She hated the idea of working with him, but she wasn't stupid, these criminals had to be stopped.

"Another little hero come to join the fun huh?" Wolfram sneered, the earth beneath him shaking and splitting open as metal from the sewers below rose beneath him. Putting him up on a pedestal over them, "You can DIE alongside the Number One Hero!"

"I don't give a damn about Endeavor!" Shisui barked back, before jabbing an accusing finger at Wolfram, "You assholes ruined my vacation! So I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Endeavor quirked an eyebrow, sweatdropping a bit, _"What kind of Hero is this woman? And why does she seem so familiar?"_

"Well that's gonna be hard now that I have this-"

"I'm done talking!" Shisui cut him off, breaking into a dead sprint towards the tower of metal before her, "Take your monologue and blow it out your ass!"

"Wait!" Endeavor shouted, "We need a plan of attack!"

"That is my plan! ATTACK!" She cried out, before jumping high into the air, reaching the summit of Wolfram's pillar in an instant.

"I hate working with amateurs," Endeavor muttered, preparing to blast off to join her when a sound from his flank made him jump back to evade.

Sure enough, a wave of that foam plastered the ground where he'd been. Shin standing nearby, "Quite quick on your feet for such a big guy." He stated, "Perhaps I should stop with the formalities and go straight to killing power." His cannon shifting, the single barrel splitting apart and reshaping into six long barrels that started to spool up, "Lets see how quick you really are!"

Endeavor's eyes widened, as the sound of gunfire echoed throughout the city.

 **. . .**

"Right, yeah we're fine," Eldritch assured, speaking into his cellphone, "Great song by the way... Okay, okay, yeah I'll send them that way, good luck." He hung up his cracked device and slipped it back into his pocket before walking over to Midoriya and Adachi, "Got word from Anthem over at the station, they've got some of their drones checking things out now, and they spotted Endeavor and some unknown hero fighting with the villains at the main tower."

"Already?" Adachi grunted, sitting up and sighing, "Guess that means no rest for us."

"Right," Midoriya nodded, rolling his shoulders as he stood up, "We have to go back them up."

Eldritch nodded, looking down at his own wounds that were slowly healing, "I'd come along but... I've burned out my Quirk pretty hard, at this point I'd just be a liability... Besides," He smirked faintly and looked over to Godzillo's unconscious body, "I really wanna see the look on that big bastards face when I tell him who knocked him out." He chuckled lightly.

Adachi laughed a little at that, "Yeah, I'm sure he knows..." Before sighing and rolling his shoulders, "Alright, I may not be able to maintain it for long, but I should be able to fly us over there."

"You sure?" Midoriya asked, "You were going strong for a while back there, it won't help anyone if you overexert yourself."

"Give me _some_ credit Midoriya," The reptilian hero answered with a toothy grin, "I can handle a little flight, now lets move."

Deku nodded, "Alright, lets finish this once and for all!"


	68. Closure, Finale! Goodbye I-Island!

"Hmm," Suru quirked an eyebrow as she watched the handheld screen. Her own little drones keeping a keen eye on everything that was going on. She smirked as Godzillo was taken down, and Endeavor began fighting with Wolfram, "Seems its just about time to get going." She sighed, standing up from her seat on the plane, stretching her arms a bit.

"Suru!" Her head whipped around, as Charm stumbled through the door, panting heavily, "Finally made it... And I even managed to get these~" She smirked, holding up two cases, definitely taken from the medical center, "Is Wolfram coming?" She asked, setting them down by the door.

"Nah, Endeavor seems to have caught up with him." Suru chuckled, stuffing her hands in her pockets, "You look exhausted."

"Well I had to run for quite a ways," She explained, leaning against the doorframe to catch her breath, "And good riddance, Wolfram was a prick anyways, and this means more payout for us." She chuckled, turning around and looking back towards the city, "Lets get going before any security teams get here."

"Yeah, about that..."

 ***BANG***

The bullet pierced clean through her chest, the force of the high caliber magnum knocking Charm right off her feet. She tumbled down the hard metal stairs outside the plane, before hitting the floor of the runway. Her eyes wide, blood pooling beneath her as she turned over weakly, unable to move her lower body. The well placed shot had gone clean through her spine...

"Sorry Charm, I liked you," Suru said casually, holding her gun in hand while looking down upon her from the doorway, "But the Zodiac told me to make sure I was the only one that joined the League of Villains." She shrugged, tucking her weapon away before kicking out the cases Charm had brought along, "And to make sure they didn't get too much new tech."

Charm's eyes were wide, feeling her body weakening with every drop of blood that leaked out onto the cold hard ground, "Y-You... You bitch!"

"You know how it is in this life," Suru replied, shaking her head, "You've always gotta watch your back... I'd say I'd see you in hell, but you won't remember me so... This is goodbye." She added with a smile, before closing the door.

The moment she disappeared from her vision, Charm felt her mind go fuzzy. Her memory of the situation warping, she didn't understand what was going on.

What happened? Why am I bleeding out? Where is everyone? Who did this to me?

Questions she would never have answered, as the light faded from her eyes, and she died on the runway. The last thing she saw, was the private jet taking off right in front of her. The intense winds nearly blowing her over, not that she could feel anything anymore...

Sonzai Suru, Quirk; Object Impermanence.

Suru can erase her presence completely if you aren't looking at her. Any sound, or movement she makes is undetectable. Even interactions made to the targets body cannot be felt so long as her presence is erased. It also warps the memory of those under its effect, making them forget about her completely.

 **. . .**

Metal slabs smashed into the rooftop as Shisui made a mad dash for the next building. Leaping into the air and hitting the ground with a roll, she turned back ever so slightly to look upon her attacker. Wolfram's eyes were glowing, his skin warped and red as the strange device on his head enhanced his quirk to near limitless levels. The street was being torn apart, buildings stripped, all metal in the vicinity was turned to a deadly killing tool meant to crush those that stood in his way.

"I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!" He roared, the effects on his brain were evident, as he seemed to lose his sense of logic. With this kind of power, he could have been long gone by now without having to kill anyone...

"Hate to point out the obvious," Shisui shouted back, jumping over another wall of metal he made crash down around her, "But that stupid tiara is fucking with your head!"

Meanwhile, further away from that chaos, Shin had Endeavor pinned down with a hail of gunfire. The parking lot around them had been turned into a warzone by their firefight. Flames and bullets traded back and forth, as they tried to get a clean shot on one another. Flames scorching the ground, and bullets tearing apart any vehicles Endeavor tried to take cover behind.

 _"Wolfram has completely lost it,"_ The smaller man within the armored suit thought, narrowing his eyes, _"I need to get out of here, but if I don't have that enhancer when I arrive there's no way I get into the League!"_ He looked away from Endeavor's hiding spot, calling into his communicator, "Wolfram! We need to leave while we still can!"

"Metal..." He grunted lowly, the earth beginning to quake as more pipes and wiring were ripped from the sewer system, "I need... More... METAL!"

Shin was sweating in his armor, "Alright, he's lost it, screw this!" He tried to break away, and flee from the battle. Before metallic tendrils stabbed into the limbs of his machine, "Gah! What are you doing!?"

"More... I need MORE!" Wolfram's voice echoed, sounding partially distorted as his Quirk raged out of control. The tendrils were dragging Shin towards the metal monstrosity as it continued to grow larger.

"Aaagh! N-No! Let me go!" The small man inside writhed, trying to eject from the battle suit as it was slowly crushed around him.

 **"HRAAAAAH!"** A shadow swept overhead, before a mass of scales and muscle slammed into the mountain of metal. A thunderous crash resounding, as Adachi drove himself into Wolfram, trying to tear him up off the ground.

"One for All, SHOOT STYLE!" The metal tendrils were torn clean through, as Midoriya delivered his powerful kick. The reinforced boots breaking the thin metals with ease, saving Shin, "Are you okay?" He asked quickly, not realizing the situation.

"Don't get near him!" Endeavor called out, having risen from cover with their spectacular arrival, "He's one of the villains!"

"One of the villains?" Midoriya repeated, looking down at Shin and his ruined battle suit, "Well, doesn't look like you're much of a threat now, but this guy..."

 **"Gaaah!"** Adachi hissed in pain, backing off as metal spikes tried to pierce through his tough hide. Some drawing blood, but none reaching more than an inch or two. He released Wolfram and leapt back with a mighty wing beat, landing on what used to be a building, _"I'm just a big target if I stay like this..."_ He reasoned, starting to shrink down into his base form.

"Adachi!" Shisui called out, rushing over to him, "You alright? What happened with Godzillo?"

"I'm fine, Midoriya and I took him down," He assured with a nod, "What's happening? What is this guys Quirk?"

"He controls metal," She explained, the two both jumping back as metallic spines fired at them like a hail of needles. They duo spreading out and putting ground between themselves and Wolfram, "That stupid device on his head is amplifying his Quirk! We need to get rid of it!"

"Easier said than done I think!" Adachi yelped, a few spikes narrowly missing his face as he ducked down.

Meanwhile, Midoriya regrouped with Endeavor staying out of sight while Wolfram viciously went after Adachi and Shisui.

"You're the one that fought Shoto at the festival," Endeavor stated bluntly, "If you can hit him with a powerful attack maybe we can end this quick."

"No can do," Midoriya shook his head, "I can't do that without breaking something, and that isn't an option for me anymore." He explained, gripping his right arm, "But now that all four of us are here, we should be able to take him down so long as we're careful."

"We need to hurry," Endeavor replied quickly, "He's ripping more and more metal out of the surrounding buildings, if he takes too much from that massive control tower it just might come crashing down!"

"It'll be better if we work together on a plan," Midoriya looked towards the area Wolfram was attacking violently, "Lets get Adachi and his Mom so we can regroup and think!" Before powering up his Quirk and dashing off.

"Wait," Endeavor blinked, "That woman is..." The revelation was staggering, "I guess that explains her manners, dammit..." Before he raced off after him, "Don't give me orders, Kid!"

Back in the fight, Adachi drew in his breath before unleashing a beam of fire. It wasn't aimed at the oncoming metal however, instead it struck the torn up street before them. Causing an explosion of dust, forming an effective smoke screen, "Come on!" He grabbed his mothers hand, pulling her into a nearby alleyway to hide for the moment.

"Good thinking," She panted lightly, leaning against the wall while catching her breath, "But I'm gonna need a minute... Dodging this bastard is pretty tiring."

"Hey! You guys alright!?" Midoriya asked, nearly dashing right by the alley before sliding to a stop.

"Fine," Adachi assured, "But we need to end this, I assume you've got a plan?"

"You two need to keep it down," Endeavor grunted as he arrived as well, "That monster is still looking for us."

"Right, we should retreat for the moment," Midoriya nodded before looking to Adachi, "And I do have a plan."

 **. . .**

"Things are starting to quiet down outside," All Might noted, standing near the window, "No more drone patrols, that song really did knock out their signal."

"Just got word from one of the security teams," Another man added, most of those that had been hiding downstairs were up in the lobby and cafeteria now, "Godzillo was taken down!"

A number of people cheered, while Mina fist pumped, "Yes! I knew they could do it!"

"The leader of the villains is currently engaged with Heroes at the tower base," The man continued, looking at his phone to read the message, "He's on a rampage, but with Endeavor on the scene I'm sure everything will be okay!"

All Might released a small sigh of relief, making his way over to a chair, "Hopefully everyone's okay..."

 **. . .**

"Whatever you're thinking Midoriya, make it quick." Adachi urged, as they took cover in the lobby of an empty building mostly still in tact, "The cold is starting to kick in again, and I'm running out of steam."

"Then I'll make it simple, that weird device is the source of all this power right?" Midoriya questioned, "Adachi, you transform and take the villain head on, hold his attention while Endeavor and your Mom attack from the flanks once we have an opening."

"And you?" Shisui questioned, crossing her arms, "What are you going to do?"

"I've got more mobility than anyone here," He explained, "So I'll go around behind him, I can ascend that tower of metal with ease, while you two ride on Adachi."

"This fucker is dangerous," Shisui stated, looking to Adachi, "You sure you can take him head on? Those metal spikes are nasty."

"She's right," Endeavor admitted with a nod, crossing his arms, "I don't like the idea of using a child as my shield."

"Hmph, the fact that we agree on something disgusts me..." Shisui added, scoffing in annoyance.

"I can take it," Adachi assured firmly, nodding to both of them, "I won't let this big metal prick take me down."

"What choice do we have at this point anyways?" Midoriya questioned, his words punctuated by another loud crash, another building crumbling, "With every second we wait, he's getting stronger and its only a matter of time before that tower comes down."

"Then lets finish this." Shisui relented, knowing he was right. She pulled Adachi into a brief hug, "Do your best kiddo, I believe in you." Before releasing him, glaring at Endeavor, "And you, try not to fuck this up."

His eye twitched, but he restrained his anger for the moment, "Noted..."

"Then lets go!"

Making his way outside, Adachi grit his teeth. Clenching his muscles as he began to grow, rising higher and higher until he stood over the smaller buildings nearby. Opening his maw wide, unleashing that thunderous roar as a challenge to the writhing mass of metal in the distance. It instantly got Wolfram's attention, and various metal blocks were sent racing towards him.

 **"Go Midoriya!"** He commanded, raising his arms and bracing as they smashed against his scales. It hurt, but did no real damage. He felt Shisui and Endeavor climb up onto his back in the space between his wings before he charged, **"Hang on!"** Leaping into the air, not going too high just above the buildings.

"I am going to CRUSH YOU!" Wolfram's cries echoed, metal rising higher and higher. Some of it leaving his tower, forming into a massive objects. Chunks of metal scrap that were sent flying at Adachi.

He was forced to land, still with some distance to go, lest he be knocked out of the sky. Bracing for impact, he hissed in pain, growling as they slammed against him. Like wrecking balls, dense and hard, **"Dammit! I can't get any closer!"**

"Well you'd better figure it out!" Endeavor barked, "If that kid gets to him alone he'll be in serious trouble!"

"Yell at my son again and I'll rip your fucking tongue out!" Shisui shouted back at him.

 **"Mom!"** Adachi dug in his heels, gritting his teeth as he held off the barrage, **"You're not helping... Get ready to move, and Endeavor think you can melt through that metal?"**

He narrowed his eyes, looking up at him, "Not alone! I'd need more firepower, my strongest attack would take too long to burn through!"

 **"Mom, defend Endeavor!"** He ordered, **"Quick! Get to that rooftop while I draw his fire!"**

Shisui clenched her fists tightly, every bit of bubbling hatred for this man rising within her, "I am not going to stick my neck out for this-"

 **"Then do it for me!"** Adachi cut her off sharply, throwing his fists forward to smash through the wall of metal that had built up before him, panting heavily and sore from weathering the heavy metal assault, **"Forget about him, and do it for me... Please."**

Shisui grit her teeth for a moment, "FUCK! Fine! COME ON!" She ordered, leaping from his back to the nearest rooftop.

Endeavor followed behind, looking back to Adach, "I'll still need someone to back up my flames!"

 **"I'm on it!"** He drew in a deep breath as he lumbered forward. The feathers along his back shimmering, and the spaces between his scales began to light up. Heating rising in his body, making him feel invigorated once more, **"HRAAAAAAH!"**

The brilliant beam of blue fire raced towards Wolfram's mass of metal. Slamming into it and instantly starting to superheat some of the gathered materials. Endeavor watched in shock, he'd only seen Adachi using widespread fire attacks in the past. But this was...

"Perfect," He smirked, "You're certainly something kid." Endeavor admitted, starting to heat up his own body, "But I won't be outdone! HAAAAAH!" Shisui watched as his fires raged with intensity, forcing her to step back. All the snow on their rooftop was melting away rapidly, "PROMINENCE BURN!"

A beam of raging fire just like Adachi's erupted from his entire body. Cutting through the smoke and dust, it struck right alongside Adachi's fire. The two combined flames raising the temperature even higher. Metal was visibly starting to melt, the tower was beginning to sway as the base lost its structural integrity.

"Haaah! STOP IT! I'll CRUSH you ALL!" Wolfram roared, releasing a torrent of metal spines racing towards each of them.

While this attack was harmless to Adachi, as he'd already experienced, Endeavor was wide open.

"DAMMIT!"

The Number One Hero's eyes widened, as Shisui took to his defense.

Her claws at the ready, she intercept the jagged metal spines. Lashing out rapidly, pushing herself to the absolute limit to fend them off, "FFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Her voice rose, eyes wide with fury as she focused. She could feel the pain in her hands, nails chipping and skin splitting. Some of the spines grazed her arms or legs, one taking a chunk off her mask and forcing it to fall from her face. Sparks flying before her, muscles burning.

"Hang on!" Endeavor assured, trying to turn up the heat, "Just a little longer!"

"FUCK YOU!"

Wolfram's lurched forward suddenly, enough damage done to taking it off balance. The villain frantically started pulling in more metal, trying to reinforce his position. But in that moment, a blur of green slipped into his field of vision.

"Sorry I took so long guys!" Midoriya cried out, already in mid swing with his leg cocked back, "But its OVER NOW!" He kicked hard, putting incredible force behind his armored foot, "One of All, SHOOT STYLE!"

"NNNOOO!" Wolfram was hit right in the side of the head, knocking his block off hard. Before his locked in boot sprung back, adding a second hit to the mighty blow.

The device on his head was shattered, breaking to pieces as it fell from his brow. In an instant the metal began to go still, his control failing completely before the villain himself hit the ground exhausted and mentally drained. Left in a dazed state by the devices strange effects on his mind. Midoriya landed beside him, delivering a final solid punch that sent him flying off of his scrap heap mountain. His body totally drained as he plummeted towards the ruined streets below.

Midoriya quickly chased after him, to make sure it was finally over.

Back at the rooftop, Endeavor was panting heavily. His body still steaming and greatly overheated from the intense attack, he released his own sigh of relief as the tower ceased its movements. Adachi was moving towards the tower, likely going to join Midoriya and make sure the villain was taken care of. He looked to Shisui, as she fell to her knees staring at her hands.

"Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck FUCK!" She repeated, hands trembling as they dripped blood onto the rooftop. She didn't appear to have any life threatening injuries, but she definitely had some broken fingers.

 _"We're alone, and she just saved me... I might not get another chance."_ Endeavor swallowed his reservations and stepped towards her, "You did well... Thank you for-"

"Don't you _dare_ thank me," She glared up at him, eyes still filled with hatred, "If Adachi wasn't here... I would have let you get turned into a fucking pin cushion!"

Endeavor narrowed his eyes, understanding in that instant the trying to be gentle with this woman would get him nowhere, "I do not believe that."

"What?"

"The kind of person that would do that, isn't the kind of person that hugs their son the way you did ." Endeavor stated calmly, "Or cries the way you did, when you saw your husband could walk again."

Shisui turned her glare away from him, back towards her hands, "You don't know anything... So shut your mouth before I break your jaw, bastard."

"I know enough," He answered quickly, unfazed by her threat. "You're right, I'm a bastard, and I've got a lot of things to answer for... But I'm trying," He assured, walking around so he was standing in front of her, "I'm sorry for what happened to your husband, I really am... I don't expect you to forgive me, but as much as you hate me for dealing that crippling blow, you can't deny that _you_ are the one that put him in that position in the first place!"

Her body stiffened, as he spoke her worst fears.

"I'm trying to become a better person," Endeavor went on, tone softening, "To become worthy of the title, Number One Hero... Its not something I expect to happen overnight, but dammit I'm trying." He offered Shisui a hand to help her up, "You don't have to forgive me, I'm just asking for a little faith."

Slowly, Shisui looked up at him. Her eyes had gotten a little misty, as she struggled to maintain her hatred towards him. And that just pissed her off. She released a short, scoffing laugh as she looked away, forcing herself up without his help, "What kind of fucking idiot offers a hand to a woman with broken fingers?" She mocked, trying to retain some form of composure, as she looked out towards the ruined streets, "Yeah, you've got a long way to go, and you're right, I don't forgive you... But you're the Number One Hero, nothing I can do about that." She shrugged, wincing in pain, "So I might as well have faith in the good guys..."

Endeavor felt the tension between them melting away, and released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. There wasn't any more to say, anything else would just ruin the progress they'd made already, "Lets get off this damn roof... And find someone to take care of those hands."

 **. . .**

"Up ahead! I can see Midoriya and Adachi!" Kirishima barked from the passenger seat, as Nagato pulled the car to a stop outside the tower.

Security teams were already all over the place, as well as medical staff. Everyone sweeping the area for more villains or anyone injured in the chaos. It had been a short while since the fighting stopped, and everyone was quieting down quickly. It was nearly evening now, the sky was getting darker and it was just about time to get going for the UA students.

"It looks like everyone is okay," All Might said from the back, sighing in relief, "They did it..."

"Yeah of course they did!" Ashido exclaimed, as the care pulled to a stop, "Lets go!" She jumped out immediately, helping Kirishima who was still a little battered and sore.

As they ran off to see their friends, All Might and Nagato got out as well. The former Number One Hero looking around at the destruction, "To think a ragtag group of villains could do all this, we got lucky."

"I don't think luck had anything to do with it," Nagato smiled lightly, crossing her arms as she leaned against the car, "I don't think these villains stood a chance from the start... Not with those kids around."

All Might chuckled at that, "You're probably right, I knew young Midoriya wouldn't just sit around and let these criminals do as they pleased." Looking at them all chatting to one another, laughing it up, it made him happy, "They've all come a long way from those kids I had in combat training so many months ago..."

"They're gonna do great things," Nagato nodded, "This next generation of heroes is a mighty one..."

 **. . .**

"You sure your hands are okay?" Adachi asked, as Shisui was taken into the back of an ambulance.

"I'm fine," She waved him off, "Just gotta get some stitches or something... Probably." She wasn't exactly sure herself, "Your father and I might not see you before we head home so... Good luck Adachi," The emerald haired mother offered with a small smile, "You kids did great, I'm so proud of you."

Adachi felt his chest swell with pride, nodding to her, "Thanks Mom, I'll call you tomorrow." He offered, as the doors closed and they took her away.

Midoriya patted him on the back, "Your mom is pretty amazing."

"Yeah..." He was a bit lost in the moment, and didn't even hear them until it was too late.

"Adachi!"

"AAAAGH!"

Both Kirishima and Ashido laughed in as he jumped, the red head patting him on the back from behind, "Sorry, couldn't resist, you two looked really serious there for a moment." He chuckled.

Adachi turned around and slugged him in the arm, "Yeah thanks!" Before cracking a smile of his own, "I'm glad you two are okay, no other villains turned up?"

Ashido shook her head, "Nope, things were all clear after you guys took off."

"Good to hear," Midoriya nodded with a smile, "I hope too many people weren't hurt by all this chaos."

"Yeah," Adachi shifted, crossing his arms, "We did what we could to contain the damage, but still I-Island took a pretty big hit."

"Well it could have been a lot worse!" An unfamiliar voice sounded, the students all looking towards it only to see a young woman approaching them. And beside her strode Eldritch, looking good as new.

"Eldritch," Adachi smiled lightly, "You're looking better, and this must be your partner-"

"Anthem!" Midoriya cut him off, "I'm so glad I got to meet you too, your song was amazing!" He exclaimed, "The way you use sound to combat villains is just incredible!"

"Is that what that was?" Kirishima asked, scratching the side of his head, "Huh, it was okay I guess."

"Not manly enough for you?" Ashido asked, pouting at him.

"You said it, not me."

As the students shared a laugh together, Eldritch looked to his comrade. The woman nodded to him slowly, before he opened his mouth to speak finally, "Listen, I know you kids won't be here much longer and this place has a lot of cleaning up to do so... I'm going to keep this brief."

"Huh?" Midoriya looked back at him, "What is it? Something wrong?"

"I'm going to preface this by saying what you did here was amazing," Eldritch spoke calmly, "And I think I speak for everyone here on I-Island, when I say thank you for all that you did." He even went as far as to bow his head to them.

Adachi quirked an eyebrow, "I appreciate that... But I'm sensing a big but following it."

Anthem chuckled nervously, "Sharp kid."

"Sadly, you're right," Eldritch sighed as he stood back up, "This isn't technically an order, and you certainly wouldn't be breaking any laws because you're licensed, but you can't go spreading word of what happened here around when you get home."

"And why not?" Kirishima asked curiously, "I'm not trying to argue, I just wanna know your motives here."

Midoriya was the first to speak, "Because if other villains learned this place was weak, they might try attacking it too right?"

Eldritch nodded slowly, "Exactly, it would be in everyone's best interest if the bad guys thought I-Island was an impenetrable fortress."

Adachi sighed lightly, nodding, "Yeah I understand, not like I was gonna brag to anyone anyways." He chuckled lightly, "The only people I'd really want to tell are already here."

"Yeah," Ashido nodded, placing a hand on Adachi's shoulder from behind, "We won't tell anyone, no problem."

"Great," Eldritch breathed a sigh of relief, "If that's all, I think I'll be on my way, we've got a flight to catch too."

"Right, thanks for your help!" Adachi waved them off.

"Good luck young Heroes!" Anthem waved back, following beside her team mate as they climbed into another car.

As they drove off, Adachi looked back to the others, "So, what should we do now?"

"I don't know about you guys," Kirishima chimed in, "But I'm definitely hungry."

Ashido giggled, "I could certainly go for another five star meal before we head home."

"Sounds good to me." Adachi nodded, "You in Midoriya?"

The future Symbol of Peace nodded eagerly, "Yeah, lets do it!"

"And on the way you can tell us exactly why you're here~" Mina teased, grabbing him by arm and refusing to let him escape.

As Midoriya stammered looking for an excuse, Adachi laughed watching them. Thinking over the days events as they walked off. It was a crazy day, but he was glad it all ended well enough for them.

And so the young hero's vacation on I-Island came to an end.

Leaving him with plenty to think about, and more training to do now that his Quirk was fully realized.

* * *

 **With that, I'm gonna put this story on hold for a while. Like back in September, after the Dokuga Arc, I have kinda reached my limit on ideas and inspiration for the story. The truth is, I'm experiencing some serious MHA fatigue atm. Mainly because whenever I take these "Breaks" I am continuing to work on the story, just not posting anything. So I think its about time I actually just stop writing for this story for awhile.  
**

 **Maybe I'll wait until the show comes back next fall? Who knows, either way. If you've been following this whole time, I thank you for the support!  
**

 **Stay safe and have a good year!**

 **Also, maybe keep an eye out on my page, I might be cooking up something special that I'll release... Eventually ;3**

 **P.S. If you're into the Avengers or Venom in particular, I've started a story about Gwenom that has kinda blown up. And I'll be working on that during this break, among other things probably. Anyways, there's my shameless plug.**

 **See ya!**


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